Senior Year With The Boltons
by whackedout101
Summary: Sequel to 'ASWTB'. Gabriella continues to stay with the Boltons for the school year. What happens when she realizes how Troy can be at school? What will graduation be like? Will they be able to conquer all problems throughout the year?
1. School Begins

_I'm back with a sequel! WHOOOOOHOOOOO! Okay, sooo…I couldn't really give shout outs to those who reviewed last time, but…let's just say there were a lot. So I'm just going to quickly name them at the END OF THE STORY! For now on, all my shout-outs and author notes will be towards the end so you all immediately read and I don't get annoyed, agitated readers…(starting the next chapter)_

_Ideas for the sequel go to: AlmancexGurl: Thanks for the ideas! They sure helped me write this and I think this one should be amazing! _

**Chapter 1**

I stared at myself. I wasn't going to be 'the shy girl' this year. Not when I was only going to be here for this year. Not when I had Troy Bolton by my side. "Gabriella! TROY!" I laughed, noticing that Lucille's voice grew when she said Troy's name.

"Breakfast!"

I fixed one last strand of hair and then grabbed my handbag and walked out of my bedroom. I saw Troy, who smiled as he shut his door to his bedroom. "Ladies first…" he said, as he gestured his arms towards the stairs.

So things went well last summer. Troy and I finally got together and Zak was totally okay with it. After all, he was the one who told me to go after him. We even few Sam and Kayla out here for a week and we managed to all get along. Jessica wasn't a problem anymore and Troy promised that he wouldn't acknowledge anymore.

Today was the beginning of something totally different. I was going to Troy's school and his territory. Troy warned me though, that school was going to be different and he'd probably act like a total jerk…and Jessica was going to be there no matter how much either of us wanted her to disappear.

"Nervous?" he said as his hand found mine and gripped it tightly and I gave a weak smile.

"Of course not…" I said sarcastically.

He laughed as we walked into the kitchen to see the biggest breakfast that I had seen.

"Eat up! You guys have a big day today! Oh and Troy…Zak wanted a ride from you." Lucille said and Troy looked at me and I raised my eyebrows, amused that he had to look at me before answering. He already knew my answer was going to be that he had to do it, whether he liked it or not.

"Of course he can ride with us…" I said in a manly voice, imitating Troy and he playfully pushed me.

"Yes-" he cleared his throat.

I laughed and he looked at me. "What?" he said.

"You just made your voice sooo lowww…" I said using my manly voice again while saying 'so low'.

He rolled his eyes, "My voice is soooo low…" he said, "Anyways, yeah, Zak can ride with us." He said and I gave him a cheesy smile, as I sat down at my usual spot on the corner and grabbed something to eat.

"Great. I'll-"

"I'LL TELL HIM!" I said, hopping from my chair then running outside of the house towards Zak's.

The door opened and I saw Zak, in his usual type of outfit. He had some faded blue jeans and a flannel shirt and his hair was practically so messy it was perfect. "Hey!" I said like a little kid and he looked at me confused.

"Somebody's excited…" he laughed as he leaned against the door jam.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'M A SENIOR!" I danced around him.

"And so am I, but you don't see me dancing like a seven year old, now do you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well pardon _moi_ but we're giving you a ride so I wouldn't be judging me!" I said, sticking out my tongue.

"You're mature…" he laughed, noticing my sarcasm and my childish antics were never going to disappear.

"I know you are, but what am I?" I laughed, totally feeling like an idiot.

Zak grabbed his bag, which was leaning against the staircase and we began to walk back to 'my' house and walked back into the kitchen. "Good morning Zachary! Are you ready for your last year of high school?" Jack greeted him and Zak smiled.

"It should be interesting…" he said.

Jack gave a laugh and Zak sat down next to me as I sat next to Troy and we sat there waiting for Troy to finish eating. "You're a garbage disposal, y'know that?" I said, staring at Troy, who was shoving food in his mouth.

"Yes, but I'm a cute garbage disposal." He said, with a mouthful of waffles in his mouth and I looked away, totally disgusted.

"You are when you're not eating." I laughed and Zak couldn't help but laugh along with me.

"Yeah, well…you love me anyways." He laughed, swallowing his food. "Okay, who's ready?" he said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and got up from his chair.

We all followed Troy out to the garage and we hopped into Troy's black range rover. "Shot-gun!" Zak said and I rolled my eyes, willingly letting him take the passenger seat.

The ride to the school was awfully silent. No music was played and nobody talked. Maybe it was the nerves?

This continued for several more minutes. "And here we are!" Troy said enthusiastically as we drove into the parking lot and I smiled.

The school was huge and it seemed to me like there were way too many people already surrounding the entrance of the school. "Thanks Troy. Catch ya later Gabs." Zak said as he hopped out of the passenger seat and walked towards the school.

"Well…that was…fun." Troy chuckled as he opened my door for me and grabbed my arm.

I rolled my eyes and then finally took a look at my new school. It was huge and it was going to be where I'd be graduating. "I'm so nervous." I said softly.

"You'll be fine. Just follow me to homeroom and nobody will touch you." Troy said in calm voice.

Two weeks before this day, we had to register Troy and I for the year and I ended up sharing several classes with Taylor and Zak. I shared homeroom with Troy and the rest of his friends, including Zak. Our homeroom teacher was Mrs. Darbus and according to both Troy and Zak, she wasn't the woman to screw around with.

We entered the school and I immediately felt several eyes staring at either Troy or me and several giggles and murmurs. "Who's she?" "I heard she was Troy's new arm candy…" "I heard that Troy got her pregnant…"

I felt myself grow angry, hearing all these horrible rumors already beginning to spread about me. "Don't worry about them Gabs…" I felt Troy's words vibrate against my ear and I suddenly felt…well…still angry.

"You tell that to _them_!" I whisper-yelled, already getting more tense.

Okay, so I may be over-reacting, but last time I checked, a good boyfriend would defend their girlfriend when girls are criticizing her. I mean seriously, do we need to write out a handbook for boys?

"She's such a-"

"You want to finish that sentence?" I looked over to see Zak glaring at a small, petite brunette who looked like she just saw a ghost.

I smiled slightly, knowing that I had Zak to watch out for me. Three days before, he promised me that he'd be there for me no matter what.

"N-no. Sorry…" she said as she looked at her friends and they turned and walked down the long hallway.

"Don't worry about them Gabs. Some of the girls here can be a little…cruel. But I got your back." He winked at me and then walked into our homeroom.

"Well…that solves my problem." Troy mumbled and I narrowed my eyes towards him.

"What's that supposed to mean? You couldn't tell them that yourself?"

"That was Jennifer, one of Jessica's very close friends. I'd rather not have to start out my year by getting my reputation-"

I rolled my eyes, following Zak into homeroom, not caring about what Troy had to say. A women with blond hair with big, rectangular glasses in a very bright blue long sleeved shirt and black dress pants greeted me, "Ah, you must be Ms. Montez! Welcome to East High! I'm sure you are very excited to be here!" she said in a bright, enthusiastic voice.

I nodded and she smiled, "Now, go have a seat next to Mr. Zak Greene." I nodded and looked at Troy who didn't exactly look like the happiest man in the world.

"Right…" I said as I made my way to the far corner of the room.

"Well Mrs. Darbus seems to be in a good mood…" Zak chuckled and I looked at him, dazed.

"Normally she's infuriated by Troy and his posse…" Zak explained.

"Oh?"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Darbus seems to like you." Zak said as he flipped open his notebook to a fresh new sheet of paper and got out his favorite pen.

"Okay class, it is a brand new year and we have a brand new student sharing her senior with us! Gabriella, please stand up and tell us about yourself!"

I inwardly groaned and stood up. "I'm Gabriella Montez, I'm from New York City, but I'm here for the year because my mom had a job offer in Oregon. " I said, making it as casual as I could.

"Great! Thank you! Now, as for this period goes, I do NOT want a repeat of last year so I will be separating Troy Bolton and his 'crew' with assigned seats!"

The class groaned in response.

"Okay, Taylor, please have a seat in front of Mr. Zachary Greene and Chad you will sit next to Ms. McKessie."

Taylor got up from her seat and sat in front of Zak and smiled at me. "Hey Gabriella! I haven't seen you much this summer, how's staying with the biggest lunkhead of them all?" she smiled at me, but glared at Chad as he made his way to his new seat.

"Troy is not stupid. He just…decides to act stupid but he has great grades." Chad said.

"It was fine." I answered simply as I looked up and saw Troy who was seated across the room.

"Well, that's good. So, are you excited for AP Calculus?" she said, ignoring Chad.

"Totally…?" I laughed and Zak laughed.

"What about you, Zak?"

"What Gabi said, I'm ecstatic." He laughed and I smiled at Zak, I turned to see Troy who was smiling at me and waved.

"Right…" Taylor laughed, "Well I think it's going to be amazing!" Taylor said happily.

….

I looked around, trying to decide who I was going to sit with. I had made several friends and Ryan did say that Zak and I could sit with him and his sister. I had also made friends with this really awesome guy, Carter who also said that I could sit with him.

But…throughout all my requests to sit with people, I hadn't seen Troy all day and that was the one person I wanted to be with. "Hey Gabi, are you joining us?" Ryan greeted me and I shook my head.

"I'm trying to find-"

"Troy? Yeah, he's…going off campus for the day with a couple of his buddies and some girls."

I felt my heart sink. He was going to ditch and he didn't even invite me to go with him? "Oh well then I'll go sit with you guys." I said in a dry tone.

"Well Zak and Carter are already there, so it'll be Kelsi, Shar, Zak, Carter, Martha, you, and then myself." He smiled and I gave a weak smile back.

Okay, so I guess Troy might have forgotten about me…which is….well…not exactly the best thing in the world, but I guess it was fair since he did warn me that he would act this way. "Well then let's go!" he said as we spotted the rest of them and sat down.

"Oh my gosh I hate Calculus!" I laughed and Carter was glaring his text book down.

"I don't think glaring down your text book is going to make it easier Carter…" I laughed as I sat next to him.

He smiled at me and continued to work on his homework. "So where's your guy?" Zak asked as he was also working on his homework.

"Out…" I sighed, suddenly feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket.

One new message: Troy

_Hey, sry for not telling u I was going out to lunch w/ some buds. I will stay on campus w/ u tomorrow. Meet me outside after school so I can drive u home. I love u! _

I smiled to myself and shut my phone. "Lemme guess, Troy texted you to say he was sorry?" Sharpay said as she picked at her food on her tray.

"Well-"

"Of course he did. He does that to every girl he dates." She said, "Trust me, it's his signature with every girl." Sharpay said, continuing to poke her food with a fork.

I looked at her confused, but already doubting her. "Yeah, but he said I was-"

"Different than the rest of the other girls that he dated…." Ryan finished for me.

"Well yeah, but-"

"Don't worry Gabi, Troy has changed…" Zak reassured me and I gave a weak smile.

…

"Where is he…?" I mumbled under my breath, searching for Troy.

"Where's who?"

I turned around and saw familiar blonde haired, brown eyed boy who was smiling at me and carrying several text books. "My boyfriend…" I mumbled and Carter laughed.

"I don't know, but you've been out here for a half hour."

"How do you-"

"School got out thirty minutes ago." Carter said, "Do you need a ride?" he asked, "Well… I don't exactly have the hottest ride on campus, but…it works." He smiled as he looked at his old, beaten up white truck.

"Um…" I turned around and sighed, still seeing no sight of Troy.

"Well…I don't want you to have to wait here for another thirty minutes just to realize that you're going to have to walk home." He nudged me slightly.

"True…can you give me a ride?" I sighed, getting annoyed.

"Well I just asked, weirdo!" he laughed as slightly pushed me towards the stairs.

"Okay, okay…let's go." I smiled, grabbing his left arm, making sure not to make him drop his text books.

"So, why are you still at school?" I asked.

"Well I was helping a junior who needed some help with some trig homework." He said, "I'm a tutor…" he said, sounding somewhat…ashamed.

"Well, that's awesome! Most guys hate being tutored, let alone being a tutor." I smiled.

"True…" he laughed, turning the steering wheel to drive out of the parking lot.

I grabbed hold of the volume knob and turned it up so we could listen to music, so I didn't have to relive this morning. "So…do you like New Mexico?"

"Yeah, it's been an interesting summer." I said remembering the last few months.

"I bet…" he laughed, "So how did you manage to end up dating THE Troy Bolton?" he asked and I narrowed my eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…Troy isn't exactly the best person to ask to get commitment from. It seems to me like every great relationship he has, which isn't that many, he pushes them away and dumps the girl or vice versa."

I wasn't sure as to what to say in response. Was this true? Did Troy really…do all of that? "Well, I'm sorry about bringing down your mood, just…warning you." He said, his jaw beginning to clench.

"I know…it's none of my business and I know nothing about your relationship with Troy, but…for once, I don't think it's fair for Troy to win and break another girls heart." He said, looking at me for a moment, as we pulled into the neighborhood.

I didn't know what to say. What was I supposed to say to this? How could I accuse him of lying when I barely know him? How could I believe him…?

"I'm sorry…this isn't it exactly what I wanted to talk about." Carter let out a huge breath, "Just forget what I said. As far as I know, he's changed over the summer."

I nodded, as we turned into the cul-de-sac. "Thanks for everything Carter. I'll see you tomorrow." I said, pulling on the handle, opening the door.

"I'm sorry about all the Gabi. I shouldn't have laid all of that on you." He said, "See you tomorrow…" he said.

I nodded, shutting the door, slowly walking towards the house, slowly. What was I supposed to be thinking? Is Troy…cheating on me with some girl? Was Troy trying to push me away? I swung the door open and then slammed it shut. "Gabi, You're home, I thought you'd never make it! Where have you been? Where's Troy?"

I sighed and shrugged. "I don't know where he is. I just caught a ride from a friend. Anyways, Lucille, I think I'm going to go do my homework." I said, walking up the stairs.

I swung my bedroom door open and slammed it shut, just as I did with the front door and threw my bag on my bed.

I pulled out my phone, calling my mom as she told me to call her after I was done with my first day of school at East High. "Gabi! How was your first day of school sweetheart?" I smiled hearing my mom's voice.

"It was good but I have a lot of homework."

"Well I'm sure you'll be fine. You always were a smart girl." My mom laughed, "Anyways, I'm glad you're having a great time in New Mexico! Maybe we could move down there instead?"

I sighed, "Yeah, maybe, Mom…" I said as I plopped down at my desk chair.

"Well I have to go sweetie! I have a meeting tomorrow morning and I need my rest! And I'm sure you want to get a head start on your homework!"

"Okay, bye Mom! Love you!"

"I love you too sweetie, I miss you and have a great night! Tell Lucille and Jack that I say hi! Bye!"

I hung up, then opened up my lap top and quickly signed on, needing to talk to Sam and Kayla.

I signed onto my email, smiling at the fact that both of them were online.

(For all new readers: NewYorkGurl17: Gabriella; LadysMan247: Sam; Writer_At_Heart47: Kayla)

_**Writer_At_Heart47: Gabs! How was ur first day of school? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Hey Kay…it was…good? I guess…**_

_**LadysMan247: U guess? **_

_**Writer_At_Heart47: What did Troy do this time? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: What if it wasn't Troy? Maybe it was one of the teachers or the girls there! **_

_**LadysMan247:We all know that if it wasn't Troy, then you wouldn't be getting online right after school Gabs, now what'd he do? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: …he 4got to give me a ride home from school and he totally ditched me at lunch for his buddies and some girls and went off campus…**_

_**Writer_At_Heart47: HE WAT? IF I GET A HOLD OF THAT BOY, HIS HEAD IS GOING TO BEO ON MY MANTLE! **_

_**LadysMan247: …Id warn troy…**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: …its fine kay. Im…just confused. **_

_**LadysMan247: About? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: …this guy who's in most of my classes told me stuff about troy. **_

_**LadysMan247: he must be smart…lol. And what stuff? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: he said that troy has issues with commitment and that I should be careful. **_

_**Writer_At_Heart47: I like this boy. Dump troy…he's infuriating me…**_

_**LadysMan247: Calm down Kayla…im sure troys just confused or something. Yknow, just like every other time? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Well…true, but he promised the he wouldn't do this again… /: **_

_**Writer_At_Heart47: DUMP HIS ASS! **___

_**LadysMan247: KAYLA! CALM YOUR **__**ASS**__** DOWN! **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Its alright guys…I have homework. Ill update u guys on the new later. Ttyl….**_

_**LadysMan247: Great Kays…you scared her off. :P bye gabs, have fun and good luck! Im sure troy will get his head back on straight! (;**_

_**Writer_At_Heart47: I did not scare her off! :P love you gabi! Sorry I over-reacted. C u! **_

I quickly logged off of my computer then grabbed my bag from my bed and moved it to my desk, but before I could get out all my homework, my phone began to ring. "Hello?"

"Meet me out back…"

"Huh?"

I heard a click and I groaned in frustration. He hung up on me. I got up, confused as to what he meant.

I walked out back, to see Troy with a single white rose in his hand and an apologetic look on his face. Behind him was a stereotypical red and white picnic blanket along with a picnic basket. "I'm sorry Gabs, I really was a jerk today and…well, I'm trying to make it up to you." He said, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Troy…I don't really want to do this right now." I sighed, not willing to give into his cheesy apology.

I turned around before I could hear him plead several times more and ran up the stairs and into my bedroom, locking the door behind me.

How could I trust a guy who I had been dating for two months when he ditches me at school?

_Okay that was the intro chapter and I was still trying to make sure I got it right so hopefully you all didn't have to wait too long! _

_Okay first of all, I want to thank you all so much for reading the first story and reviewing! They were all wonderful and I mean really guys, 382 review? That's amazing! _

_It really was horribly written story, but I love romances, but I need to start writing stories that have some sort of theme…and I guess this story isn't going to be it. Soooooo…yeah…sorry. But all of you should my stories on FP (fictionpress). The link is on my profile! _

_I hope there aren't any mistakes, as I did look over the whole thing…I'm trying to work on that. _

_Now, since I couldn't give you all shout-outs, here they are! _

_Shout-outs: _

_Dawb(x2): I could be wrong as to how many times you reviewed…but yeah…if I am, I'm sorry. Both of them were just relevant to the story, but I'm glad you decided to review…so thanks. _

_Kaybaby1127(x25): Just as I said before, all of your reviews were relevant to the story and not about my writing, but thank you for the reviews! It means a lot and I'm glad you decided to look at my story and review twenty-five of the twenty-six chapters…so thanks a bunch! _

_Zanessafan4eva14: Aw thank you so much! I'm glad you liked my very poorly written story. Thank you so much for reviewing! _

_Batzmary: well I'm glad you liked that chapter. Hopefully you don't hate Troy that much in this chapter…because…well you always do. Hahaha, anyways, thanks for your review! _

_Xxluvstrukxx: Aw thank you for the sweet compliment! I hope I didn't disappoint and you liked the intro to the sequel! Thank you so much for your review! _

_Zanessatroyella2013: Hahaha…I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: Well I hope you liked this chapter! This is just the beginning of a very interesting story. I'm not sure where I'm going to make-…well now that I think of it, I just might be able to incorporate everything I want into it! Woohoo! Thank you so much for your review! _

_Lola: Well I hope you liked this one just as much! Thanks so much for the review! _

_Kellyharper: Don't all girls love it when guys have to work for something? Hah, well thanks for your review! _

_AlamancexGurl: Well I'm glad you liked the ending! I thought it was nice to make the 'nice' Troy come out for the ending! Hope you like the sequel just as much and I'd like to thank you personally for your ideas! _

_NavalHut: Well I'm sooo happy you liked the finale! Thanks so much for the review! _

_You Know Who I Am/Zanessastories1225788: I'm glad you liked the ending! I thought it was decent! I hope you like the sequel just as much and thank you so much for all the awesome reviews that you gave me! _

_CrazyKenpogirl: Awww thanks! I hope you liked the sequel and thanks for your review! _

_Sprinklz76: Short and sweet hahaha. Thanks for your review and your continuous support! _

_I'mEdward'sCrazyLunaticGirl: Well I'm glad! Thanks so much for your reviews! _

_Sara: Well I hope you will enjoy this one just as much as the first one! (:_

_xEmilyHeartsx: That would be amazing! But I doubt that will ever happen to me. I'm glad you liked the story and I hope, if you do read this, that you'll enjoy this one just as much! _

_x-TammieBaybii-x: Hahahaha…well I got it up finally! Woohoo! I'm glad you liked it as much as you did and thank you so much for your continuous support! I love you to death! Love you! _

_Okay guys, that's all. Thanks so much for your reviews and support! I hope you all enjoy this sequel just as much as the first one! _


	2. And The Arguing Begins

I sighed, wondering if I had made the right decision. I mean, c'mon, we've been dating for…a month and a half and he can't even acknowledge me at his own school? And when he does, he's not even talking to me in person? He didn't even introduce me to any of his friends. Well, technically. He introduced me to them during the summer and that was it. Nothing else.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Go away Troy." I said in a firm tone, as I slid my back down the door, resting my head on the back of the door.

"Why are you so mad at me? I didn't-"

"If you say that you didn't do anything wrong Troy Bolton, then you need a brain check." I hissed. Seriously? Was he really going to say that he did nothing wrong when he did all of that just so he could _apologize_ to me?

"I didn't mean to do all those things." He finished and I rolled my eyes as let my head fall back and softly hit the door.

"I'm sure you didn't." I said sarcastically.

"Why is it, you can never forgive me?"

My eyes widened. _Did he seriously_- "Okay, first off all, as I recall, I forgave you for being a total jerk to me the first weeks of summer. Second of all, if you're so fed up with this then why not just go and dump me and date Jessica again? I'm sure she'd _love_ that. And I bet you'd feel the same way…" I said, my voice softly.

"Gabi, I would never…ever leave you like that again. Ever. I do care about you. I just…have a weird way of showing it. It's hard for me. I make mistakes and I'm sorry, it's just…I told you this before school began. I'm different at school. I don't know why, but it's like I-"he paused.

"It's like you're ashamed of being around the nerdy new kid?" I finished for him, beginning to start my homework.

"No. Gabi, I'm not ashamed. I'm just afraid of what others will think when they see me with a girl like you."

"A girl like me?" I screamed, "Whatever Troy. Don't talk to me. Just…leave me alone." I sighed, feeling the pain begin to seep in.

Did he seriously just say that? Was I that bad? Was he really that ashamed of me? Was this relationship worth it? Did it even matter anymore to keep trying to make things work between the two of us?

I heard slow paced footsteps begin to move away from the door and end with a loud slam of the door next to my bedroom. I sighed, relieved that he was finally gone. _No. Gabi. I'm not ashamed. I'm just afraid of what others will think when they see me with a __girl like you._

Those words kept repeating over and over. They wouldn't go away. "A girl like me. A girl like me. A girl like me." I repeated under my breath.

Why do guys always have to say the wrong thing? Or…just the worst thing ever? I got out my laptop once again and logged onto my email, hoping that there was somebody I could talk to about this.

I stared at the screen. Sam and Kayla had both logged off. They were probably having an amazing time back in New York. "Great…"

(_Note: NewYorkGurl17: Gabriella; TheManOfTheCentury: Zak; Bolton21: …I would hope you could figure it out, but if not…it's Troy. )_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: hey…y r u on?**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: I could ask u the same thing…**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: ummmm…im bored. But its better if I ask u, bc ur normally the type to finish ur homework after school…**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: I was doing homework. But I needed an emergency person to tlk to**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: Who? And about?**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: I was hoping S and K. and…I doubt u want to hear about it.**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: Lemme guess. Troy?**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: yup.**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: ik…he's complicated. Just give him another chance gabs. He takes a while to adjust but if he keeps losing something while he makes the mistakes…he'll learn.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: But wat if I get tired of him making the same mistake over and over again?**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: then ull figure it out IF that happens.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: but…**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: but wat? U said wat if. The answer to a wat if is…well…it's the same every time. U will figure out the answer when it happens.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: isn't that redundant?**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: isn't the question redundant?**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: :P thanks for the support….**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: of course. ;P**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: okay mr. narcissist. Im just confused. I think troy is ashamed about being around me. and he said some things after I ran away when he was trying to apologize.**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: I think u need to just think about it. Don't do anything drastic. And I am not a narcissist.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: I was kidding. And thanks…**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: anyways…I have to go sweetie. Don't let troy get to u. if he does, ill personally kick his ass. I mean…I broke up with u just so u could be with the damn guy.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: u make it seem like im hopeless.**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury: u aren't. now, seriously, I have to go. Ill c u tomorrow. And if u want, we can walk to school.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: …okay, okay. Bye.**_

_**TheManOfTheCentury has logged off**_

_**Bolton21 has logged on**_

_**Bolton21: can we plz talk?**_

I stared at the computer screen in front of me. Zak did say that I should just make things work. I should…think about it. How can I think about it when-

_**Bolton21: plz gabi….im really sorry.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: what troy?**_

_**Bolton21: Look, I really didn't mean I said to you. I really am sorry and I know I keep saying that over and over and over and over again, but I just make a lot of mistakes.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: if u were sorry u wouldn't make the same mistake over and over and over again.**_

_**Bolton21: I know, I know. And I deserve the harsh treatment, but I wont give up till u forgive me.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: …**_

_**Bolton21: Plz?**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: mayb we should just take a break.**_

_**Bolton21: …why?**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: bc obviously we aren't working out well so far. So we should just take a break.**_

_**Bolton21: …but I don't want to**_

_**Bolton21: plz gabi, just give me one more chance. If I make another mistake…then we can do whatever you want, but I just want to make this right. I feel really bad.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: u sound like a girl…**_

_**Bolton21: haha, very funny.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: well its true**_

_**Bolton21: so are u forgiving me?**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: no.**_

_**Bolton21: …**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: don't do the guilt trip. I kno how it goes. Lemme just think about this troy. And I have homework.**_

_**Bolton21: …fine. Bye.**_

I rolled my eyes. Guys will always do their best to make sure that they are forgiven, but once they are, they make another stupid mistake and the circle starts all over again. And Troy was no exception.

The next morning, I managed to avoid Troy no matter what the problem was. I woke up extra early and got ready and just ate a quick bowl of cereal. "Are you ready?" I said, as a sleepy Zak opened the door.

"We have an hour. Why are you up?" he yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Actually better yet, why are you expecting to me be awake and ready, this early in the morning? " he said, looking somewhat annoyed.

"Well pardon me, but you said that we could walk to school. So…we could just walk really slowly…" I suggested lightly and he looked at me like I had completely lost my mind.

"Are you crazy?" he groaned, "I'm tired. I could be still asleep!"

I rolled my eyes, "Fine then, I'll just walk to school by myself." I said, turning around.

"C'mon, you know that I wouldn't do that to you. Just come in and let me get ready. I'll take thirty minutes. That way, we won't get to school an hour early."

I turned around and smiled innocently. "You totally planned this." He rolled his eyes and I smiled.

"Maybe, maybe not." I said, as I walked into his house and sat down in the living room.

The hallway was buzzing with rumors. Whether they were about Troy and I or some other couple, it was still sickening. Was it just me, or did these people feed on rumors? "Don't worry about them." A voice said behind me.

I jumped, as I heard the voice. "What?" I screamed, a little too loudly obviously, because several people were staring at me.

"Sorry about that." The deep voice chuckled and I swung around and bashed him on the head.

"OW!" he yelled and I blushed as I saw a familiar pair of golden brown eyes flashing in pain.

"Omigod, I'm so sorry Carter! I thought you were some boy who was going to harass me!" I gasped, feeling horrible for whacking him on the head.

"I think you got the other way around. You just totally gave me a big red mark on my cheek…" he chuckled, rubbing his left cheek and I giggled a bit, but still had my face filled with concern.

"Are you alright?" I asked, as I grabbed all his books that he dropped on the ground.

"Yeah, I guess I deserved it for scaring you…" he laughed and I got up and gave him his books.

"You totally did NOT deserve that."

He shrugged, "Well, I'll just make sure I don't do that again."

"Well…Troy and Zak both do that all the time and so does my friend Sam and yet, I've never smacked any of them." I said.

"Well maybe it's just me." he laughed, "So are you going to homeroom?" he asked as we continued to walk down the hallway.

"Yeah…duh!" I playfully nudged him.

"Well I-"

"Gabi…" I turned around and saw Troy, who had this pained look on his face as he was about to walk into Mrs. Darbus's classroom.

"Sorry, go on." I said, ignoring Troy.

"Well I was going to say, that you could be the type to skip." He winked at me and I giggled slightly.

"Gabi…"

"Well you could never be more wrong." I laughed.

"Gabi."

I rolled my eyes, as I looked at Troy who looked a bit sad, but mostly…very angry.

"Um, I gotta go." I said, as I turned to Carter who just gave him me a crooked smile and nodded.

"Gotcha. Okay, see you in Calc. And…Chem…and well, you get what I mean." He laughed, then waving from behind and continued to make his way down the hall.

"What was that?" Troy asked as he looked at me quizzically.

"What was what? I slapped Carter and I didn't mean to. I was just chatting with him." I shrugged.

"Carter? As in Carter Murphy?" he raised his eyebrows, "But that was not-"

"Yes it was." I said, as I pushed passed him, into the classroom.

"But Carter wears glasses normally…"

"Well, maybe he decided to show off his good looks and get contacts for his final year of school." I said, continuing my way towards my desk in the back of the room.

"But why are you hanging out with him? I mean, he's such a-"

"You really need to start thinking about what you're going to say before you say it. Yes he's a nerd, but last time I checked, so was I." I rolled my eyes, getting extremely fed up with Troy Bolton.

"You need to stop interrupting me."

"Oooh, diss." I heard behind me, I turned around and glared at the face who said it.

"Then what is it, Troy?" I said, leaning on one hip and putting my hand on it as well.

"I was going to say he was, well he's different than most people. I mean, why aren't you hanging out with any of my friends?" Troy asked and I rolled my eyes.

"I hang out with Carter and Zak because they share the same interests as me." I said.

"Do you…like Carter?" he asked, as the bell rang.

I rolled my eyes. I was not willingly going to tell me about how I felt about Carter. Why? Because I wanted to see Troy sweat and become the Troy I knew very well. "What was that about?" Zak whispered.

"That was us arguing."

_Okay, well I thought that chapter was a bit of a…well twist? I don't know, but I thought it was decent. It is a tad short, but I will update as much as I can. Once thanksgiving break comes around I will totally be on my toes updating. That is, if I don't have homework. Thanks for being so patient with me. I know, I'm horrible when it comes to updating nowadays. _

_Shout-outs: (note: I cannot add any periods that are in usernames, so if you do have any and you want me to add it, I can't, so I apologize!)_

_Tay(x2): Haha, well I wasn't planning on having Gabriella be popular. Most girls like Gabi, or at least how I plan on writing her out. I was planning on having some things done though, which you had in mind. But I can't tell you exactly what, or else I'd totally spoil it for you. ;) Anyways, I'm glad that you liked the first story. Most people are either Team Zak or Team Troy. I don't know why, but all of you seem to have your opinions. I'm personally team Troy-Zak. (I totally can't think of an exact cool mixture of their names. Hah.) And your suggestion about Sam and Kayla…well I have been asked to write that for the last few chapters of the first story. So no, you aren't the only one. I don't know why all of you want them to be together so badly, but we'll see! And I don't plan on having Jess create more problems in this story, but she will return. Thanks for both of your reviews, and I apologize that I wrote such a long message back. I tend to have an issue with that. Thanks for your reviews! _

_AshNA58: Well I'm glad! Thanks for letting me know and reviewing! _

_xxLady Of The Darknessxx: If there are hyphens in your username, I apologize. I can't tell…hah. Anyways, I'm glad that you liked it! And that you reviewed! So thank you so much! _

_Papaginao97: Troy's always like that, isn't he? Kind of…well, the word that we all use now, is bi-polar. Sooo…yeah. I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint you while you read this chapter. Thanks for your review! _

_AnythingButOrdinaryGirl: Well…well…awww! I'm bad with words. Anyways, thank you so much! You guys are all amazing and I'm SOOO glad that all of you liked it. Thank you so much for reviewing! It means the world to me! _

_SLE: Well, some guys may be good boyfriends, but sometimes, they suck at showing it. I'm hoping this story will be a bit longer than the first, but it should be interesting. As I was thinking and writing down ideas, I think this one should be interesting. Your question about Carter will be answered. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessafan4eva14: Aw well I'm glad you disagree, but I'm always horrible to myself. I can NEVER take an honest compliment. I'm such a pessimist. Hah, anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_Anonymous14: I'm glad you liked it! Thank you so much for reviewing! _

_x-TammieBaybii-x: I'm so sorry for not updating yesterday, like I had promised. I know, bad, BAD me. But I tried. I started writing and then I had to leave. Just check your IMS and you will understand what I mean. And guys never change. I thought I could change that one guy (B.A.R.B.I.E [hahahahaha…your brother]) and that never worked out. Anyways, thank you for continuous support. P.S-I probably won't be on as much the next month or so because I have this wonky schedule. It sucks. I'll tell you all about it when I can. Love you! _

_Clembo29: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the review! _

_Santeelove: Three straight hours? Wow, well…I could never do that for my own stories. They're sooo boring. But I do read for like a whole day…soo, I can see where you're coming from. Thanks so much for reviewing and reading my stories! It means a lot to me! _

_Kellyharper: I won't make Troy stoop that low. That would be horrible. Now if it was a different story, then yes. But not this one. Troy isn't the type. Ever. Not in this story that is. Just to clear that up…Thanks for your review! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Well…yeah. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Jessica: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Gabby: Hah, I love writing parts with Kayla and Sam. They remind me of my friends…anyways, thanks for your review! _

_Sara: Aw, well I'm glad you liked it. And…well I can't have Troy be the perfect boyfriend now can I? Then all of you will think he's doing something wrong behind her back. It's best if I keep his chaotic ways as normal. Don'tcha think? Anyways, thanks for reviewing. _

_Zac is my life: I can't say I disagree, because then I'd be lying. Troy is a jerk. But I'm hoping this story will be a lot better than my first and I can do a lot of character building. And well, I really mean it! All of you are so amazing for reviewing like…every chapter. I smile when I check my email. Thanks so much! _

_xEmilyHeartsx: I hope you like it. I decided to write it because I thought it would be interesting to write their weird relationship in a school environment. I hope this story is a bit better than those previous. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Heyitsray: Well, I'm still glad that you even decided to click on my story and read it. Better yet, I'm glad you continued to keep reading it. I'm glad you decided to review though, because that shows me that you want me to keep writing. If I get a lower amount of reviews, I am not inspired to continue to write, so I'm very happy that you did. Thanks for reading and reviewing my story! _

_AlmancexGurl: Well you will get the answer to all your questions as soon as I post the rest of the story. Which will be….in long periods of time. Thanks for reviewing and giving me ideas! _

_Pumpkinking5: The reason why I wrote that into the story is because I wanted to show how people act differently around different people. It annoys me, just as much. I know a lot of people who do that… Anyways, I'm glad you liked it though. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Teamedwardakazanessarules101: Glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing and continuing to read the story! _

_Sprinklz76: I love writing Kayla and Sam moments. It's really fun. Why? I really don't know. But anyways, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Batzmary: Well Troy is always a problem, but there are reasons why I write that into the story. Not only to make him develop as a character, but hopefully, you guys understand the deeper meaning as to why I write him the way I do. I have him act differently in front of his friends at school because I want him and you guys to learn that people do that and they shouldn't. Anyways, Troy will continue to learn and develop and so will every other character. I think this story should be good, or at least in my head it is. And yes, your review was plenty wrong. Thanks for reviewing! _

_ImABelieber: I know, I know. But there are reasons why he is. And you're not the only one who is Team Zak, but I told you that Zak wasn't going to be a bad guy. I didn't want him to be! Anyways, I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessastories1225788: Carter is going to be…well…you'll find out. But he is not going to be like Zak. And hahahahahahahahahahaha. Jess will be back but I don't think she'll be causing as many problems. I think she may be changing a bit, but I'll make that decision later on. Anyways, I'm glad you liked it! _


	3. Show Me

_Disclaimer: I kind of hate doing this, but I'll do it anyway. I do not own High School Musical 1, 2, or 3. Just the plot and some made up characters. _

Zak stared at me in disbelief. "I noticed that, but honestly, Gabs, are you really going to make him sweat like that?" he said, staring at me intensely.

"Maybe. Maybe not." I stated, simply.

If Troy could flirt with girls then I could be friends with a guy without him being jealous. "Gabi, really…?"

I shrugged, as I let my eyes wander across the room. I saw Troy who was talking to a blond. She was wearing a jean skirt that had that torn look and a tight pink t-shirt with a lighter pink cammy underneath. "Take a picture…it lasts longer." Zak whispered towards me.

I turned to look at him and couldn't manage to keep looking at Troy's stupid smile that was covering his face. Was I really not as good as-

Don't you just hate when you contradict yourself? I did yell at him. But does he really have to go and flirt with a preppy blonde who is much prettier than me? Who he _knows_, that I will hate a lot? "Gabs, you're just torturing yourself by looking at them."

"I know. But…I just can't help it. What does-"

"She has nothing that you don't have. And I'm sure you have more brains and inner beauty than her. Plus you're beautiful on the outside. So that alone makes you ten times better than some airhead blonde. Got that? Don't think differently. Ever. Got that?" Zak turned my head so I was facing me and stared at me with intensity in his eyes.

"Got it…" I said staring at him, but breaking my gaze because Troy was now looking at us. He was narrowing his eyes, but Zak made sure that I didn't look at Troy by continuing to hold my face in his large hands.

"Don't give him that power to make you jealous. You are in control of your feelings and your thoughts. Not Troy. Even if he is your boyfriend. I don't care. If he's going to be a total asshole then I'll kick his ass so he has a bigger hole than he does now."

I laughed at his threat, considering that it was a really…weird threat. Zak normally doesn't use much profanity unless he's beyond angry or he's just trying to be really, really funny in a stupid way. He continued to keep looking at me so I would keep my eyes on him and not a certain brown haired and blue eyed boy. "Right. Well. Good luck with that." I smiled at him and he finally let go of me.

I made my way towards the usual lunch table. Or…my usual lunch table for now, with Carter, Ryan, and Zak. "I hate school so much!" Carter groaned as he slammed all his notebooks and binders on the table and dropped his huge backpack on the bench, next to where he sat.

"Then why do you get such great grades?" Ryan laughed.

"Nobody likes a dumb person Ryan. And I need to get a great job so I can have a little Carter and marry a beautiful woman and then become a billionaire!" he announced.

"Riiight…" Zak said as he sat down next to me.

I felt a tug at my arm and I looked up and saw Troy, who looking at me like it was urgent. "Can I sit with you guys?" he said and I narrowed my eyes. I wanted to throw a hurtful comment to him like _Why don't you just sit with Blondie and ditch me like you always do? _But it didn't seem right.

"Sure!" Zak said, before I could open my mouth.

"Gabi? Can I talk to you? In private?" he said, tugging my arm and pleading.

I got up, and allowed him to drag me to a totally different place. "C'mon." he said, as he led me up these stairs in a random hallway. Did East High have a third floor?

"Troy, where are we going?" I said as he continued to pull me up the stairs.

"My secret hide-out." He said, "Duh." He smiled as he opened up the door to reveal a beautiful garden on the rooftop of the school. (A/N: Oh c'mon…I had to add that part of the original movies.)

"This is your secret hide-out?" I laughed as I noticed pots and pots of beautiful flowers and vines flowing all around the pillars.

"Don't laugh. It's where I come where I need some alone time. And I need to talk to you and I thought…well…hey, this is the perfect place to bring your beautiful girlfriend to talk to her." Troy said, "Look…" he sighed.

I avoided eye contact, unsure of what to say or do. "I really am sorry for being a total jerk. I know. I just…don't know what to do. I'm expected to be the golden boy of East High. I'm supposed to be dating cheerleaders or stupid girls and my friends just…don't get it. I'm expected to lead East High to victory for the last time this year." Troy said, trying to get a hold of my wandering eyes.

"I don't really know what to do Gabi and I'm trying to make sure I don't screw up with you again because I really do need you. Like I _need _you…because if I don't I feel incomplete and empty. Your smile and your presence just makes me feel complete and your kindness and brains just makes me want to become a better person…y'know Gabs? I always want to try and make sure I don't disappoint anybody, but I end up hurting and disappointing the person I care about the most."

The moment Troy said that, I looked up and gave him a small reassuring smile. The best thing about Troy is that when he means something, you can feel it in the pit of your stomach. It's that feeling when your positive that you made the right choice to be with someone. Troy may be a pain in the ass, just like every guy, but he reassures you. But I need one last reassurance to make sure that I'm not wasting my time.

"Can…you at least say something?" Troy said, staring straight at me.

"…I don't know what to say Troy." I said, "I just want you to show me that you don't want to hurt me instead of just saying that you care and then doing the total opposite."

…

No response.

"Troy, I know that you're sorry. I just want you to show me it instead of just saying it." I shrugged, "But I still love you. After saying that, it's not like I can stay angry at you silly…but, you know, that's how I feel." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry Ella. I really don't know what I'm doing. I'm lost…and I…-"

I watched as he turned and punched one of the pillars with his bare hand. "TROY!" I screamed as he turned around, noticing that his knuckles were bloody and skin was torn.

_I'm such a bad person aren't I? I know. I updated late and this one is short but I will try and get more ideas for this story so it's just as good as ASWTB. I'm just…losing inspiration because of school, but I still have my full idea for this story. I just need the smaller details. Heh. _

_ALL NEW READERS: PLEASE, read my first story. It is helpful and I'd rather you read the beginning of the story so you understand Troy and Gabriella's character much better. As well as Zak's, Kayla's, and Sam's. _

_Just beware that I'm writing two other stories on my fictionpress and I'm keeping up with my grades and it's hard…_

_Shout-outs: _

_Papagina97: I'm glad you liked it! Sorry for the long wait. Thanks for reviewing. _

_xxLady of The Darknessxx: You hate hyphens? HOW DARE YOU? …I'm totally kidding. I just like over exaggerating stupid things like that. Haha. And boys will make mistake after mistake…it's just a fact of life. And so will some girls. I have to be honest and not…be soo…sexist. Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing. _

_independentHSMFAN23: …Just remember Troy's personality…and you'll understand his temper. Anyways, sorry for the long wait. I hope this…partially made up for my late update. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Straight A's: Thanks for reviewing and letting me know! _

_Dreamsalive: Have you read the first story? Then you will understand. I have stated SEVERAL times that he's "bipolar" (he isn't diagnosed…) but that's beside the point. You need to read the first story to get the full gist of it. Thanks for reviewing and reading. _

_Jessica: Really? I thought the ending was…well…I don't know. Not great. Haha. I'm glad you liked it though! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessafan4eva14: Yeah, I think we all are like that. We are our harshest judges. If that makes sense. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing! _

_SLE: I think that's how everyone was. I loved him regardless…but I guess it's because I based him off of really good guy friends of mine from school and in addition, what I wish I could find in a guy, if you know what I mean. A lot of you think Carter likes Gabi, and honestly, I haven't really officially decided that in my own head. So this should be interesting. And Troy will. Later. Hahahahaha. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Batzmary: I swear, you are probably my most violent reviewer. Not that that's a bad thing. Or a good thing for that matter. And Really, all of you think Carter likes Gabi but that's not true. Honestly, I haven't decided if I want Carter to like Gabi and I'm leaning towards a no. Just…fyi. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_X-TammieBaybii-x: Well I updated a long time ago so none of that really applies anymore. Oh well. Anyways, Barbie is…well I don't know. I don't talk to him…as much. I reply once a day. Sometimes not even that much so I bet he's slowly forgetting me. Which is great. Anyways, thanks for the support hun! Continue writing your story._

_Heyitsray: I have to say, no matter how hard a person thinks that people should get over stereotypes, we all believe them. Like, if I say child molester (…don't ask) you would think…creepy old guy or just some screwed up person. Right? Or if I say, druggie, you think…emo, black, pathetic, goth, etc. They're existent and it's hard for us humans not to think about others opinions. And Gabi doesn't have feelings for Carter. That is confirmed right now. All of you are getting weird vibes. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Thanks for reviewing! _

_(No name): Okay I don't know who the heck wrote this. Not only is it unsigned but there is literally no name. BUT I'm positive it's Zac is my life. If I'm wrong…I apologize. But thanks for your review! _

_AnythingButOrdinaryGirl: Hahaha, aww, well thank you! I hope this chapter wasn't as horrible as I think it may or may not be. Okay…that…stupid. Forget I said that. Anyways, I'm glad you liked the last two chapters! Thank you for reviewing! _

_Zanessatroyella2013: Don't all couples fight no matter how long they date? I hope you liked it still! And gosh. No. Carter is not going to steal Gabi from Troy. It's more of a-nevermind. You'll find out. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Pumpkinking5: You know what's nice about your reviews? Is you thank me and I should be thanking you. It feels nice that you thank me…even it's totally unncecessary. It means a lot to me. It kind of made my day tonight while I'm writing this and when I opened my email when I got the notification that you had updated. And I totally agree about what you said about Troy. If that gives you any hints. Thanks for you review! _

_Sara: He gets better. No worries! Haha, thanks for reviewing! _

_Anonymous14: I have not seen that show. I may have to see it or something, but I have heard about it. I would write it for you but I have no knowledge about that show at all. I apologize! Thank you for reviewing! _

_Teamedwardakazanessarules101: Aw, well I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessastories1225788: You didn't like Zak either did you? And I'm sorry there wasn't Sam and Kayla in that chapter but they will be making their appearances throughout the story. And Thanksgiving is in late November. So I'm trying to keep my toes intact, because I've been on them trying not to drown in friend drama, boy drama, school, and family drama right now. That's why I haven't updated. And Jess is always in everyones bad book. No matter what. AND AWWW! Thanks! That's amazing! Thank you so much! That means a lot! Thanks for your continuous long reviews and support! _


	4. A Special Visit

"TROY!" I ran towards him and grabbed his bloody hand and looked at him directly in the eye, "What on earth were you thinking?" I said, not sure of what to do.

"I'm fine. Just a bit of blood Gabi, don't worry. I was….just angry." He said, removing his hand from my grasp and shaking it.

"That doesn't give you the excuse to go ahead and punch a wall!" I said, "Let's get you to the nurse." I said, grabbing his other arm, dragging him down the stairs…or at least trying. He wouldn't budge.

"You're not mad at me anymore…are you?" Troy said, as I turned to look at him.

"I'm mad at you for punching a wall. I care about you, you dork. If I didn't I'd be back in New York. Now c'mon…we'll talk about this more when your hand isn't bleeding." I said, rolling my eyes, but kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Okay…" he said, "But I am sorry Gabs. I'm just frustrated." He said following me down the stairs.

I stared at Troy as he was talking to the nurse about what had just happened. What the hell was the boy thinking? He punched a pillar for goodness sake! I mean, no, I'm not going to hate him for my whole life just because he's made some mistakes here and there. He means too much to me. Is that so bad?

He looked back at me as he began to wrap a bandage around his knuckles and gave me a crooked smile. I smiled back slightly, giving him that 'you're so stupid, but I love you anyways' look. And he understood exactly what I meant.

I continued to watch him as he made his way out of the nurse's office and he came and pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm sorry babe. I can't promise you that I won't make more mistakes, but I can promise that I will try my best to be the best boyfriend you could ever ask for." He whispered into my ear as I began to feel like for once we were really a high school couple.

I stayed there, listening to his loud heartbeat through his chest. I didn't care that people were staring at us like we were disgusting and we weren't meant together because I knew in my heart and in my mind, that fate brought us together. We were destined. "I love you…" I whispered, trying to make sure Troy couldn't hear me because I wanted to save the 'I love you' for later, but I had to say it right then and there.

"I love you too…" he whispered in my ear and I felt my arm get goose bumps. This moment was absolutely perfect. Even if people were staring at us and I hate PDA.

"There you are!" a familiar voice comes from behind Troy and I look to see Carter who was running towards us.

I felt Troy's body begin to tense up and I rested my head against Troy's chest once more. "Don't worry Troy." I said, as I parted from him and looked at the boy who was interrupting our very intimate moment.

"Hey Carter…'' I said, looking at him. He was looking between Troy and I back and forth like he was a little five year old who had just caught watching his parents kissing or something along those lines.

"I was wondering where you had gone. Zak said that I shouldn't worry about it because you guys really needed to talk, but you had been gone for at least the majority of lunch. So I wanted to go and look for you. Besides, some guy wanted to talk to you." He said, "…And he made me go look for you." He said innocently.

I stared at him, completely confused. Some guy…was looking for me? And it wasn't Troy or Zak? Or him? Who else could it be? "And who was it?" Troy asked, speaking up. I turned to look at him and noticed that his eyes had turned a darker shade of blue and his jaw was clenched.

"I don't know, it was some guy who just wanted to know where Gabriella was." He mumbled, staring at his feet, "I'll see you guys back in the cafeteria." He said, quickly turning around, probably feeling frightened by Troy's very intimidating glare.

"Do you know who he's talking about?" Troy said, as he grabbed my hand with a firm grip and practically dragged me to the cafeteria.

"No clue Troy." I said, trying to catch up to Troy's long strides so he wasn't completely dragging me down the hallways. "Slow down Troy! I really don't know who wants to talk to me! Stop getting so worked up about this! I mean…-"

Troy continued to walk, without talking so I just gave up. I might as well just see who was asking for me anyways. He must have some guts to ask me in front of Zak in the first place and then get Carter to get me. "Hey!" I heard a familiar high voice from behind one of the giant pillars in the cafeteria and noticed that it was way too familiar.

"KAYLA?" I screamed as I jumped up and down when I saw her running towards me.

"GABIIIIII!" she screamed into my ear, hugging me tightly, while we're both jumping up and down.

"OH MY GOSH WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I practically yelled in her face, feeling a huge smile on my face.

"Well-"

"I think your forgetting about a special boy!" Carter called from behind me and I just realized that I still needed to see my mystery boy who was asking to see me.

A boy walked from around the corner and smiled at me. "SAMUEL!" I said, running up to him and hugging him with all my might!

"What are you guys doing here?" I said, hugging him, as he picked me up and twirled me. This had just made my day. Actually, this just made today the best day ever!

"Well…" Sam breathed, but was just interrupted by Kayla.

"We got the week off from school for some stupid reason and so we called up Zak here and asked him what you were up to and to see if there was any possibility if we could stay at a hotel nearby. So, when I asked, Zak said that were hotels nearby, but Troy's parents wouldn't let us do that. So we're staying with you silly!" she said, and I couldn't help but smile at the fact that they took the week off to come here to hot, boring, New Mexico.

"That is-"

"Awesome, amazing, spectacular, terrific, fantastic, super-tastic, fantabulous?" Sam said, trying to think of as many adjectives he possible could.

"!" Kayla exclaimed, too excited for her own good.

"Exactly…" I laughed.

"Well I think it's time you give us a tour of your school so we don't get lost. AND THEN…we should totally get a huge tour of this place you guys call Albuquerque." Kayla said, staring at me, with excitement in her eyes.

"Well let's get a move on you dork!" Sam said, looking around the school, completely taking in all his surroundings.

"Finally! We're home!" Kayla said, plopping down on the sofa in the living room, "It is way too hot here." She said.

Zak, Troy, and I had taken Sam and Kayla all around the town to give them the full view of Albuquerque. We showed them the park where I had ran to when I was so upset that one night. We showed them the shops that Troy and I had gone to throughout the summer. It all brought back such great memories regardless. Even if some of them were bad memories. Without those bad memories we wouldn't have good memories.

"And that's all because of me!" Troy said jokingly and we all stared at him like he was crazy. But…in all honestly, he was really hot….

"Well we could go swimming…" I suggested, looking at Troy and he shrugged.

"And I could totally throw you back into the pool like old times?" Troy mischievously smiled at me like a devious child. Great. I was going to relive one of the best memories with Troy, but at the same time the worst. He had shoved me afterwards and slammed the door in my face. Can I say…rejection?

"Are you going to avoid me like last time?" I narrowed my eyes and Troy looked at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know how to handle the situation!" Troy argued, "SHEESH!"

I smiled at him, "Surrreee." I said, "Anyways, you guys can change wherever you want to. There's the basement or any of the bathrooms in the house." I said.

"I call the basement!" Sam said, getting up.

"NO! I call the basement!" Kayla said, "Our stuff is down there!" Kayla got up quickly and shoved Sam back onto the couch and found the basement door, slammed it, then ran down the stairs.

"If you'll excuse me…" Sam said, getting up and repeating Kayla's actions.

"I swear, they're like an old married couple." Zak commented, laughing, "Have you ever thought of how…surprisingly good…to see them actually together?" he said, thinking out-loud.

"Y'know…as much as I really don't like Zak…" Troy said, and I glared at him and shoved him.

"HEY!" Troy said, smiling at me, lightly shoving me back, "Anyways, before somebody rudely pushed me, Zak does have a point. They'd be…a really cute couple."

"OH MY GOSH!" I gasped, "Troy Bolton just said cute…couple." I said trying to be over-dramatic.

"Whatever! You know it's true."

"They'd kill each other!"

"Nah. I think secretly, they both love each other. They're stupid childish antics just hide their true feelings." Zak explained, "Seriously, Gabi, have you never thought about that?"

"No! Because they're my best friends!" I said, "And Kayla hates boys. She doesn't want a relationship!"

"Have you ever thought that maybe she says that so she can wait to see if she can get into a relationship with Sa-"

"Ew. Just stop it." I said, getting up to change into my bathing suit. That was too weird to think about…

_I'm sorry that is one is somewhat short! I really wanted it up and these next few chapters should be much better. I promise! I am SOOOO sorry for the late update as well. I noticed I didn't get many reviews on this chapter and that's okay. Thanks guys for being so patient with me! _

_Fanfictionfan4ever: I'm glad you liked it, because honestly, I thought that last chapter it was crap. (I say that a lot). So thanks for reviewing! _

_Santeelove: I'm glad you liked the sequel! Some people really wanted it or they wanted me to stop, because they were afraid that I was going to ruin the first one. But I'm glad you liked it! _

_Telitubiees: Glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Heyitsray: Hahahahaha. Actually, my brother who is…around his early 20's punched a wall and broke his pinky and ring finger. It was kind of funny… in a bad way. If you know what I mean. There are a lot of boys who will punch a wall because they're so mad. It's stupid…I agree, but it's true. I was so mad once, I kicked my bedroom door (with my shoes on I might add) and a whole part of the door caved in. Hah. It definitely got my anger out. Anyways, I'm glad you liked that chapter! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: Well I knew it had to be from you… (I don't know why…) but it's weird because it didn't even have a name on it! It was crazy-whacko! And who wants a boy who immediately changes, when you can't even get a perfect boy in the first place! Psh! Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you liked the last chapter! _

_Zanessafan4eva14: Well normally logic confuses people, haha. I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!_

_x-TammieBaybii-x: Could you not have made a longer review? Sheesh… Anyways, I'm glad you liked it and we have already established this. And honestly, all guys do have some weird anger issues. My brother has punched a wall…and he broke his pinkie. Heh. Anyways, sorry I haven't updated in so long. And yeah. Barbie and I aren't really chatting as much as we used to. His sister is getting married. And apparently he's back into the dating business. Anyways, I'll talk to you later. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessatroyella2013: I will check out your stories as soon as I have time. I barely have time to write my own stories, do my homework, and stay sane. So I will read them! I promise! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessastories1225788: Everyone always get a shout-out silly! It doesn't matter whether you're the first or the last. It still means a lot to me, regardless. Anyways, it's okay. I don't care if I won or not. I still have amazing supporters. And I hope you like the added Sam and Kayla in this chapter! Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Thanks for reviewing! _

_Dreamsalive: Lol, well…that's all true. And okay, that's good. Some people comment on stuff that was already established in the last story…so it makes me thing they didn't read it. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_SLE: He will. It just takes some lesson learning on Troy's behalf. And I always base characters based off of people I know. Sometimes it could people I know who have horrible lives. Sometimes they're based off of my crazy, whacko friends who are so sweet to me. Sam is based off of one of my amazing guy friends who's probably the sweetest boy I know. Anyways, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Pumpkinking5: Well thank you for reviewing! And Troy is always trying. He just…doesn't really know how to try the right way… And I liked the way you put Troy's actions. Very well put! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Sara: Sorry for the late update! Thanks for reviewing!_


	5. Operation Interrogate Sam and Kayla

I came back downstairs carrying some towels and then went back out to the backyard to see everyone already in the pool except for- "Sam!" Kayla shrieked, as I watched Sam grab her around the waist, turn her, and then fall back into the pool with her.

I laughed, as I watched them do their usual thing. Fight and argue, in a brotherly-sisterly way. "Having fun?" I laughed, as I noticed Kayla popping her head up to the surface, gasping for air.

"UGH! Why doesn't he ever listen to me?" she screeched, as she swam back towards the edge of the pool and pulled herself up.

"Because he's a boy. Boys never listen."

"Don't stereotype boys…" Troy said, grabbing me from behind, kissing me on the cheek.

I smiled to myself, feeling as if I was right where I needed to be. "Well it's true." I laughed, "But I still love em'."

"I thought you just loved me…" Troy huffed, still rocking me back and forth.

"Well that too."

"Oh now you've done it!" Troy said, lifting me up and dragging me towards the edge of the pool.

"PUT ME DOWN!" I screamed.

"Well you said it! And I'm listening, so here you go!" he laughed, letting go and dropping me into the pool.

I felt myself splash into the cold water and fill my lungs with a bunch of chlorine filled water. I swam back up towards the surface and began literally coughing so hard I thought my lungs were going to be thrown up. (I know bad image). "TROY BOLTON!" I screamed at the top of my internally bleeding drowns (not literally).

I swam to the side of the pool, pulled myself out of the pool and smiled innocently at Troy. "Oh I know that smile! Get away from me! Or I'll drag you back into the po-"

"But Twoysie!" I screamed, making fun of his nickname which he hates so much.

"Oh now you-"

"C'mere!" I said, "I wanna hug!" I smiled deviously, and opened up my arms widely and ran towards him and finally held him in my arms and smiled.

I walked him towards the edge of the pool and began falling forward so he would fall backward, but he held onto me. "AAAHHH!"

Once again, I had landed in the water with a splash, but with Troy holding me. "TROOYYY!" I screeched, splashing water in his face once he had reached the surface.

"GABBIII!" he mocked me, "C'mon, regardless, you still love me." he winked at me and I couldn't help but swim over to him and hug him tightly.

I smiled, as I sat down on the couch between Sam and Kayla in the basement. And to be quite honest, the last time I was down here, I shared my first kiss with Troy. Well…it was outside, but technically, we were down here for the most part. "Well that was interesting…" Troy laughed, recalling our little….awkward chicken fight.

"Agreed." Zak chuckled, "I can't believe Kayla beat Gabi!"

"She did not! She fell when I fell! Gosh!" I said, offended. I mean, honestly, right as I fell, she fell as well.

"Well she hit the water after you did. So therefore, she won." Sam said.

I glared at Sam, rolling my eyes. "Is there a rule book for a chicken fight mister? Because I think it's whoever falls off first wins. And she fell when I fell. And when do you _ever_ defend Kayla?"

"Well technically…you fell off first. And well…I don't, but it's true. Kayla won. And since you decided to bet on it, you owe her 20 bucks." Sam laughed, "That's what you get for being so confident."

"I DIDN'T LOSE! Right, Troy?" I said, looking over at Troy, hoping that maybe my boyfriend would back me up on this.

"Well…technically-"

"TROY!" I said, offended by the fact that he too, was betraying me.

"Cough it up Gabs. 20 dollars. That's all."

"Only 20? Really? PSH!" I said sarcastically, grabbing my wallet from the coffee table and reaching for a twenty.

"I hate you." I muttered under my breath, as I handed Kayla her money.

"I love you too sweetie." She giggled, grabbing it from me and smiling innocently like it wasn't a big deal.

"I never thought I'd see the day where Sam takes Kayla's side though." I said, looking at Sam who was innocently running his hands through his wet hair, looking around the room obliviously.

I heard Zak chuckle lightly and I rolled my eyes. "Toldja!" Zak smiled as if he knew something I didn't.

"Told me what?"

"You know…" Zak said, moving his eyes between Kayla and Sam.

"Riiight…sure. Uh huh. Well when they get married then you can rub it in my face." I said, rolling my eyes, crossing my arms and putting my back against the back rest of the couch.

"Who gets married?" Sam asked, looking back towards me.

"You and-"

"Nobody." I said quickly, glaring at Zak.

"Me and who?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows, becoming amused.

"You and-"

"Zak, it doesn't matter. If it happens, let it happen, but right now, just…no."

"Me and who?" Sam said, becoming impatient and his nosy self.

"You and Kayla!" Zak said, before I could even interrupt him this time.

"WHAT?" Kayla and Sam both screamed at the same.

I gave one glance to Zak that said, 'I-so-know-them-better-than-you-know-them-which-means-they-would-never-date.' Zak rolled his eyes and then chuckled lightly, as if he was just kidding about what he had said previously. PSH! YEAH…RIGHT! And I'm the fairy god mother.

"…Just kidding?" Zak said softly.

"YOU'RE CRAZY IF YOU THINK _WE'D_ GET TOGETHER!" Kayla said, over-reacting.

Okay, so I'll be honest, I've known Kayla and Sam for way too long and…okay, so they kind of look like an old married couple. And they'd be kind of cute as a couple, as sad as that sounds. Or…weird. But the looks of it would be kind of…weird and awkward for me. That would make me the third wheel. Even if I did have a boyfriend.

"That's what _I_ said!" I laughed, trying not to get the fact that I was right go to my head.

I looked over at Sam who was kind of quiet and he looked at me, then completely dodged my curious glance and looked down at his feet. I narrowed my eyes. Oh, so now he's being all sneaky and weird and he's not letting me know what's up? "I know right? Ew!" Kayla laughed nervously, as if she also knew something I didn't.

Great. Time for 'Operation interrogate Sam and Kayla'.

Zak ended up sleeping over down in the basement with the rest of us, since…well he does live right next door. But luckily, Zak, Kayla, and Troy were all out cold so it was time for me to figure out what the heck is up with Sam. But he…was outside on the gazebo.

I managed to get Troy's arms off of my shoulder without waking him. (Note to self: Troy is a very heavy sleeper). I got up, walked over to the sliding glass door, and looked over towards the gazebo which is where Sam stood as if he was this poor lost soul. Aw…

I very quietly slid the door open and then shut it and walked over to where Sam was. "Hey stranger…" I whispered.

Sam jumped, "Ah!" he said, turning quickly to see who had interrupted his peaceful thought process.

"Oh. Hey…" he gave me a small, crooked smile.

"What's up?"

"Nottin'…just…thinking I guess." He shrugged casually.

"About?" I said, creeping over to where he stood.

"I don't know. Stuff."

"C'mon Sam…we're best friends. I noticed after Zak said that…thing, you got all…weird. What was that all about?" I said, staring at him in all seriousness.

"Nothin'. I was just shocked is all." Sam said quickly, as if he was trying to avoid the topic.

"Riiight. And-"

"Really. I was just surprised that he would have even said anything like that. I mean…it's me and Kayla. That isn't something that would actually happen."

"But that doesn't mean you don't want it to happen…" I said, trying to decide if it was actually possible for—no. No way. Not possible.

"No. I guess not."

"You guess?"

"Ughh…Gabi, I don't want to talk about it!" he said, becoming frustrated.

"C'mon Sam…seeing you all upset is making me upset, so just tell me. I won't judge you and it's not like I'll just stop talking to you because-"

"I like Kayla, okay?"

I stared at him, shocked at his words. Okay, so…I should have seen it coming, but what was I supposed to do as their best friend? Set the two of them up, even though they already spend each waking hour with each other; even if they do fight during those hours… "Huh…" I stated, "Who knew." I said, trying not to sound too surprised or caught off guard…or freaked out.

"I know, I'm stupid because Kayla hates my guts. Well…not in that sense, but she doesn't like me that way. It's just…I couldn't help but space out when Zak mention that…and I freaked out. Is it that obvious or something?"

"I don't think Zak specifically mentioned that either of you liked each other. He just said you guys would make a cute couple…"

"Oh…"

"Sam, I don't care about if you guys did go out. Honestly, it would be kind of cute. I just don't want to be the third wheel. And let's just say…well…if you did anything to hurt Kayla or vice versa I don't want to chose sides. Y'know? But…really, it doesn't matter how I feel about the situation. If you feel…this…strong about her, maybe you should tell her about it. Not me."

"…Well…"

"No buts. Just do it. Before you end up exploding." I gave him a weak smile, and he returned one as well.

"Thanks Gabs…" he said, pulling me into a hug.

_Awwww…so I'm guessing all of you Samayla fans are happy now? Kind of? Anyways, I wanted to make up for my lack of updating with a longer chapter and I honestly am really sorry. I know a LOT of you are growing impatient and some of you have lost interest, so I'd like to thank those who haven't lost hope and still review and let me know what they think of the chapter. It really does mean a lot to me. Especially since I just got two teeth pulled, and I'm getting over a cold. Plus school. Thanks guys! _

_Heyitsray: Well…I hope that chapter answered your questions about Gabi. Maybe not all of them, but most of them. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter and thank you so much for reviewing and being so patient with me! _

_Zanessafan4eva14: Aw well thanks a bunch! It means a lot to me and thanks so much for saying you like the rest of my stories. It means the world! Thanks for reviewing and being so patient with my late updating! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: As always, thanks for reviewing. _

_Zanessastories1225788: I am super busy. I have to keep up with my grades and my homework. And I'm like loaded with homework all the time. I have homework this weekend, but I'm trying to get back to updating a bit more. The school year is always hectic, but luckily, in about two weeks, Thanksgiving break is going to give me a week to get back to updating practically every day for you guys, so I can make it all up. But thanks for reviewing and being so patient. I swear…some people just gave up and don't read anymore. But oh well…_

_x-TammieBaybii-x: Haha…well Troy does have his moments in this story, don'tcha think? And when he does, they're amazing! Anyways, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for your undying support sweetie! Love ya sis! _

_Zac is my life: Hahahahaha…well Sam and Kayla always had that little bit of 'couple' –like qualities. And a lot of the reviewers wished one of them would just kiss the other. Hah! Anyways, yeah, that might have been it, but honestly, like two others, you review every chapter and I thought it was you…I just don't know why. I'm glad you liked the chapter and thanks for being so patient! _

_Pumpkinking5: Aw thanks! That means a lot to me and I'm glad you liked the little things I put into the chapter! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Teamedwardakazanessarules101: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Telitubbiees: Okay, I already sent you my response…soo yeah. You just need to patient or just understand that I'm busy. It's not easy for me either since I love writing these stories. I wasn't trying to come off rude, but it bothers me how some of you think that I have to update everything. Anyway, thanks for reviewing anyways. _

_Fanfictionfan4ever: I'm glad you liked the story! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Well that was only a good ten reviews, but I'm still happy with it because it just shows me who's committed to read them or not. I really am sorry for not updating quicker. But I am trying! _


	6. Sam And Kayla

I smiled at my very naïve friend. He was Sam and honestly, you don't ever think of him falling in love because he always seems to be the love guru himself. "Sam…it doesn't matter whether or not she totally rejects you. I mean, we both know Kayla way too well. And I personally don't think she'd stoop to the level of leaving you because you like her." I stated softly, afraid of the 'what if' behind what I just said.

"You're right. I know that. But by the way Kayla acted when Zak said that…it just seemed like she really didn't seem too fond of the idea." Sam said shyly.

"Kayla is very good at denial." I said, "And sarcasm…so…maybe what you were reading from what she said was wrong and maybe it's the total opposite?" I suggested, hoping that I was right and that getting Sam's hopes up wasn't something I was going to regret later on.

"True… I'll tell her when the time is right." Sam said.

"There's no better time than the present." I said, winking at him.

Sam rolled his eyes at my cheesy quote, "Yeah well…sometimes the present is always a 'gift'." He said, referencing another quote.

"Well then tomorrow. Go to the park. It's perfect there…" I said, recalling all my memories at that particular park.

"Okay, okay. But right now…" he yawned, "I'm going to sleep. Come on, it's chilly." He said wrapping his arm around my shoulder as we walked quietly back into the house.

I woke up from my peaceful slumber to find Sam and Kayla completely gone. Zak was still asleep and so was Troy, but I managed to get next to Troy last night and his arm must have wrapped around me while I was sleeping because there was no way I was going to be able to release his tight grasp.

"Troy…" I whispered in his ear, lightly kissing him on the cheek to see if maybe that would wake him up.

"Enggh…" he mumbled, taking his left arm and shooing me away.

I couldn't help but laugh at the sounds that Troy was making. "Troy…wake up. It's ten." I said, lightly brushing my lips against him, hoping that a simple, delicate kiss would wake him up this time.

A small smile crept upon his face, "Do that again…" his voice was dripping in the sound of slumber and I couldn't help but giggle.

I kissed forehead and smiled, knowing that Troy wasn't going to be very happy about that. "Gabiii…" he mumbled, "Please? My lips hurt." He said, his eyes still closed, but his lips were pouting.

"Nope. You have to wake up."

"If I weren't awake I wouldn't be talking now would I?" he said, pulling me closer to him and resting his head on top of mine. "Now…please? My lips might fall off any second!" he whined.

"Fine. But only because it's you." I said, moving my head towards him and capturing his lips with mine.

"Mm…" Troy said, finally opening his eyes and giving me this goofy grin like he was the happiest man on earth.

"Mm to you too." I said, smiling, finally getting up and stretching my legs.

"Where's Kayla and Sam?" he said, noticing a sleeping Zak but no sleeping Kayla or Sam.

"I don't know. But I do have a hunch." I smiled, hoping that things were going well and Sam took my advice.

"Is this about last night…?" he said, stretching his arms and getting up as well to stretch his legs.

"That's what I'm assuming."

"Nnngg…sssshhh. It's quiet time." I heard a grumble from Zak.

"Well then…" I laughed, as I grabbed my pillow from the couch and threw it on Zak's head.

I heard a small laugh come from Zak, but his head was in his pillow. He grabbed the pillow on the back of his head and threw it back at me. "Zak! Get up! It's practically 10:15!" I said, lightly kicking him on the side.

"Which means I have another two hours to sleep." He said, stuffing his head further into his pillow as if his life depended on it.

"Fine. Troy, do you have a bucket?"

Troy furrowed his eyebrows, "Why…?"

"So it can hold the water that I need."

"I'm UP!" Zak popped up, glaring at me with his sleepy eyes. "I hope you're happy Ms. Gabriella Montez." He rolled his eyes.

"Where are-"

"The park probably." I said, already knowing his question.

Zak responded with narrowed eyes and then glanced at Troy who shrugged. "Hm. To the park then…" he smiled as he grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom to change.

"Do you really think that Sam decided to actually talk to Kayla about this?" Troy said, as we continued to walk towards the park.

"I think so." Zak chimed in, "I mean it's not like they're strangers who just started randomly liking each other. They're practically best friends."

"Ahem."

"And Gabriella thinks they are and she knows them like a mother should know her child." Zak said, as we almost reached the park.

I continued to fall in step with the two boys on both sides of me, but I looked up finally once we reached the park. I heard the sound of laughing children, dogs barking, birds chirping, and Sam and Kayla's voices near the tree that I had gone to when I was upset…

"There they are…" Zak mumbled, staring at Sam and Kayla.

I noticed both of their stances. Kayla was leaning against the tree, seemingly trying to look as if she was careless. Sam was somewhat tense by the look of his shoulders and the fact that his hands were in his pocket. "C'mon…let's go somewhere where we don't look like total creepers by staring at two people." Troy mumbled, grabbing my arm and doing one of those weird head things that guys do, to Zak.

We followed Troy towards the opposite side of the park which was near a water fountain, some benches, the playground set, and some more trees. "What do you think they're saying?"

"Oh Kayla…I love you! I loved you from the very first day I saw-"

"SHUT UP!" I whisper-yelled, smacking Troy a little harder than I intended.

"OW!" Troy screamed, rubbing the area on his chest from where I had hit him. "You're such a violent person!" he said, glaring at me.

"And you're loud! Now sssh." I said, whipping my head back towards the scene.

Kayla's eyes had immediately gone wide and her eyebrows were raised. Sam was looking down at the ground, mumbling something and he looked very ashamed of himself. It took all my will not to run up and hug Sam. That boy needs a girl. Now.

"What do you think just h-"

"SH!" I said, smacking Zak this time in the same area I had smacked Troy.

"Gosh! Troy _was_ right!" he said offended by my actions, "You are a violent girl!" he said also rubbing his chest.

"Will you shut your mouth?" I said, glaring at Zak, hoping that he would shut up for a good two minutes.

"Hmm…I could…but-oh my god!" he said, going wide eyed.

I turned around, wondering what he was 'oh my god'-ing about and found that Sam was leaning against Kayla…kissing her! "AWWW!" I said, wanting to jump up and hug the two of them for finally getting together.

"Wow. Who knew." Troy said, smiling.

"I did!" Zak said, but I smacked him once more. "STOP DOING THAT!" he said, yelling which got everyone's attention, including Sam and Kayla.

They both looked over at us and I just smiled at them, giving them both a thumbs-up. Sam responded with a smile, giving me a wink. Kayla just rolled her eyes, but leaned against Sam, hugging him. "Finally!" Zak said, smiling as he just grabbing Troy and I by the arms and dragging us to Sam and Kayla.

As we got closer and closer to them, I couldn't help but noticed how it seemed as if Kayla was glowing. It was like, all she needed was some man's love and obviously, it was Sam's. "Aw guys. I'm so happy for you guys!" I smiled, hugging both of them.

"Thanks Gabs." Sam whispered into my ear as I hugged him.

"Anything for you." I smiled, as I couldn't help but feel as if these last few days couldn't have been any better.

_Awwwwww. Okay, that chapter honestly was really fun to write. Anyways, GUESS WHAT? IT'S THANKSGIVING BREAK! Which means: 1) I get a good five days off 2)I get to pig out on Thursday and eat a bunch of turkey! 3) I get to write as much as I want! How amazing is that? _

_And I apologize that I decided to update this chapter at 1:23AM my time. Heh. I couldn't sleep so I decided to type up a chapter! _

_I hope that I can update every single day as an apology for me being such a horrible person. I hope this chapter satisfied all you Samayla fans! Thanks to all of you who have been so patient! _

_Hay its mar-ay: Haha, well it's fine! At least you decided to read the sequel right? And yeah, I totally know what you mean when you say you like it when Troy can be a jerk. It just gives him a really good character development type-thing. (aren't I great with words?) And Jess isn't gone. Trust me. :P And about Carter. I can honestly say this, as the author, that he doesn't have a little crush on Gabriella. But there will be some more drama coming up in the next chapter. Anyways, thanks for checking out the sequel and reviewing! It means a lot! _

_x-TammieBaybii-x: I'm glad you liked it! I admit, I liked writing these last two chapters .There wasn't any drama except for the Samayla thing and it was all something that I have been kind of experiencing for the last good week. Anyways, I hope that we can chat soon! I'm up for the next five days, so maybe we can chat a bit and catch up? I hope everything is going well on your side of the world! ;) love you! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: I'm glad you liked it! And I thought it was pretty darn cute myself! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: Do you mean impression? Anyways, that is kind of true. A lot of people do have a unique writing style and some are very distinct. And of course you do! All writers want reviewers, so I guess giving them back just shows that you know the feeling! And that's awesome that you do that! And hahahaha. Boys don't ever listen. …do they? I mean, sometimes I think when you tell them something it goes through one ear and out the other. Sheesh! Boys…can't live with em'…and sometimes…you can't live without em'. Hahaha. And I'm glad you liked the Sam and Kayla thing! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Pumpkinking5: Well I hope that chapter answered all your questions! Anyways, thanks so much for continuing to read and review! It really does mean a lot! Thanks! _

_Zanessastories1225788: Well I'm sorry you're so busy! I hope you managed to keep up with everything….because trust me, I know the feeling. I feel as if I'm drowning in homework. Anyways, it actually is the 25__th__. It's this Thursday to be more specific. Anyways, thanks for reviewing and I'm glad that you liked the whole Sam and Kayla relationship thing. And hopefully this chapter was even better! _

_So wow, only seven reviews that chapter? That saddens me but I know all of you are getting impatient and you are busy. I hope all of you who do celebrate Thanksgiving have an amazing one! (just in case I don't update later on today…) And I will write as much as I possibly can! Anyways, I am very sleep. It is now…1:31 as I finish typing this! …blegh. _


	7. The New Kid In Town

_Quick Author's Note: I apologize for the retarded mistake for not uploading the correct chapter. Heh. My bad! Anyways, enjoy the real one! _

I stared at myself in the mirror. It was time to go back to school because even though that weekend was probably the most memorable… all things good have an ending. "GABI, WE HAVE TO HIT THE ROAD!" I heard Troy scream from downstairs in the kitchen.

"COMING!" I screamed back, as I grabbed my book bag and headed down the stairs to see Troy waiting for me right by the front door, "What, no breakfast?" I huffed, feeling my stomach growling.

"No. We're late." Troy said, "But…I did grab you a little breakfast bar." Troy smiled, holding out a little bar in his right hand and opening up the front door.

"Have fun at school…" Kayla said from the kitchen. She was eating waffles. That lucky girl…

"Thanks for reminding me K." I rolled my eyes and took the bar from Troy and gave him a soft peck on the cheek.

"That's more like it." Troy smiled, winking at me flirtatiously, "And I promise, today I will be good." Troy said, sounding believable for once.

"Alright, let's go!" I said, grabbing Troy's arm and pulling him out the door.

I felt Troy's rough hands grasp me tighter as we walked down the hallway with way too many eyes staring at us. "So far, so good…right?" Troy whispered into my ear, as we made our way to homeroom without being totally killed by death glares.

"Right…" I said, leaning against him for support.

"Is it me or am I feeling like I'm going to melt by the glares?" Zak came up onto my left and I couldn't help smile at his stupid comment. Even if the moment was tense, Zak was always able to make some comment that could lift everyone's mood.

"No. It's them." Troy said, as he sat down at his desk, and I just sat on his desk for the moment being.

As I continued to watch everyone walk into the classroom, I noticed the girl that Troy had been talking to before had just walked in. The girl who gets the honor to sit next to Troy… That girl was walking right up to us. "Hey Troy…" she gave a cheeky smile at Troy.

I glanced at Troy, who just stared at me and winked at me. "Oh hey Chloe." He said and continued to look at me to prove to me that maybe he really could show me that he cared for me.

"Hey Zak!" she said and glanced at Zak.

In response, Zak just scoffed and rolled his eyes. I love that boy. "Well then…you two must be in a bad mood. I blame that little-"

"Why don't you just keep that big mouth of yours shut for the next hour and then we'll all be happy?" Zak said, his voice was harsh and tense. This girl so reminds me of Jessica.

"Why don't you shut up Greene." She hissed back at Zak. "Unless you want Jessica to totally ruin your life."

Ah. Now I see where this is all going. Apparently, little ole' Chloe was very close to Jessica. "Is that a promise?" Zak said, scoffing.

"Why don't you just shut your-"

"CLASS HAS BEGUN! EVERYONE TAKE YOUR SEATS!" Mrs. Darbus screamed, while clapping her hands loudly.

I gave a smile to Zak, letting him know that I was thankful for the fact that he stood up for me. And surprisingly, I wasn't totally upset about the fact that it was Zak who defended me and not Troy. I took one last glanced at Troy. He was smiling and watching me as I walked over to the other side of the room with Zak.

I gathered all my stuff into my book bag and looking around the room as the bell began to ring. I smiled at Troy who was waiting for me, but I decided that I didn't want him to be too late.

"Don't wait up." I smiled and he raised his eyebrows.

"Are you sure?"

"Totally. I'll see you at lunch." He shrugged and with that, he just walked out the door.

"Ms. Montez?" Mrs. Darbus's voice called me from the front of the room.

I looked up and she gave me a light smile, "Can you come here for a moment?" she asked. I nodded, wondering what she needed.

"What is it, Mrs. Darbus?" I asked, as I finally reached her and gave a smile.

"I was wondering, since you seem to be our top student here at East High, if you wouldn't shadowing a new student. He's quite bright and he just transferred here from…well New York." She smiled at me.

"Well…uh…Mrs. Darbus I'd love to, but wouldn't it be weird for a new student to shadow another new student? I still practically need to use a map to get around the school and-"

"Nonsense!" she laughed like what I had just was the funnies thing she ever said, "Besides, you are the only person in this class who seems to have the smarts do this. We've made sure you two have the same schedule and everything! It's perfect!" she said, "And speaking of which…here he comes right now."

I looked up to see a young man with golden brown eyes, almost hazel. He had a very…confident stance and he was staring at me curiously. He had dirty blond hair and a smile that was to die for. He was five-foot-eleven, give or take an inch. He was wearing a blue and white, vertically striped, dress shirt with some old jeans and some converse. "Gabriella, this is Luke. Luke, this is Gabriella." Mrs. Darbus smiled.

"Hi Luke, it's nice to meet you." I said, my manners kicking in as I held out my hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Gabriella." He said, his voice quite low and it was almost ominous. "I hear you come from New York; what part?"

"New York City of course." I said, staring at him.

"Ah. I'm from Brooklyn." He said, "Anyways, shouldn't we uh…get to our first-uh…second class?" he asked, staring at me and then looking at Mrs. Darbus, as if he was asking for permission.

"Um, yeah. Bye Mrs. Darbus." I said, almost wanting to scream. She didn't even give me a chance to decide! She just threw him on me like he was my responsibility!

"Let's go…uh…" I paused, almost forgetting his name, "Luke." I said, walking out of the classroom, not eager to learn anything about this guy. Or see what Troy's reaction was going to be when he finds out that I'm shadowing the new kid on the block.

"So, where to?" Luke asked, obviously trying to make conversation.

"Well if you have my schedule then…AP calc." I said, walking a little faster, trying not to snuggle up to the new guy. If I just told Troy that he couldn't flirt, then I can't either. And especially not with the new guy. Even if he was really cute…

We made our way to class and I saw Carter and he smiled at me, but that smile slowly faded. He looked at me and then to Luke as if he thought I was with him. As in, with him, with him. "Hey Carter, " I smiled at him, setting down my stuff on the desk next to him, "Hold on." I said, going over to Mrs. Bax's desk.

"Hi, um, this is Luke…" I said, as Luke just stood there.

"Ah, Lucas Taylor. It's an honor to have you here. I hear you are quite gifted. Now, go ahead and take a seat right next to Gabriella and we'll just have to catch you up." Mrs. Bax smiled, "You will help him, won't you Gabi?"

"I don't think I have a choice…" I mumbled beneath my breath.

"Sorry?" Mrs. Bax said, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course I will." I smiled sweetly, and then gesturing Luke to go sit down in the desk next to mine.

"Nice save." Luke mumbled to me, as he walked past me and dropped his stuff on the floor and sat down. Crap. That means he heard what I said…

"Who's this guy?" Carter whispered to me, as I sat down.

"Class! We have a new student here with us! I hope you all will give him a warm welcome and introduce yourselves! Luke, why don't you introduce yourself?" Mrs. Bax said, gesturing towards Luke.

"Uh…" Luke said, "I'm Luke. It's nice to meet you all. Yeah…" he said, waving his hand, as if he didn't really care at all. He wasn't even looking at anybody. He just stared at his desk.

"Alright class…let's begin!"

Finally…LUNCH! I couldn't wait to go and eat. I was starving. No matter how horrible the food is here, I would do anything to shove a sandwich down my throat. "Gabriella!" I heard behind me.

I turned to see Troy running towards me. I smiled, noticing that he looked very happy to see me. "Who's that?" Luke whispered. Crap…he was still here.

Troy finally reached…us and pulled me into a tight hug. "Finally. The great thing about school has finally come!"

I smiled. "Lunch!" he said.

I rolled my eyes and lightly smacked him the stomach. "I'm kidding! I get to see you!" he laughed, "You really need to work on that violence stuff though. You could kill me one day and you'll regret it." He laughed, kissing my head.

"Ahem…"

I almost groaned, but I stopped myself. "Can I help you?" Troy asked, staring at Luke, as if he was trying to decide whether Luke was a guy he should watch out for or not.

"Um…"

"I'm shadowing him. Luke…this is my boyfriend, Troy. Troy…this is Luke." I said trying to smile a little bit.

"Oh…okay. Nice to meet you man. Welcome to East High."

I practically screamed in relief. Thank goodness that Troy decided to be the good guy and decide that Luke wasn't a threat. "Um, thanks bro. It's good to be here."

"So where ya from?" Troy said, as he took my hand and we began walking towards the cafeteria.

"New York."

"Really? Gabi here is-"

"I know." He said and I couldn't help but notice that Troy was beginning to tense. I stared up at him, but all he had was this smile on his face. He's such a liar.

"Oh, well what part of New York are you from?" Troy asked, trying to act as if he really cared.

"Brooklyn." He shrugged, as we finally made our way to the table.

"I don't like him." Troy stated in a monotonous tone.

School was finally over, and Luke was practically clung to me the whole entire day. Well…not really. It was more like he had to be with me every single second because he was going to get lost, and…it seemed like Mrs. Darbus was around every corner and she would totally flip if she found out that I had ditched the new student.

"I'm sorry…?" I said, trying to laugh and lighten the mood.

"It's not funny Gabs. I just don't like him. Can you please try and just stay away from-"

"GABI!"

I turned to see Luke running towards me. "Hey Luke…what's up?" I said, staring at him.

"I uh...you dropped this. Or…well it fell off your wrist, I guess." He said, holding my bracelet that Troy had given to me from like…the middle of the summer.

"Oh my gosh!" I grabbed my bracelet and stared at Troy who looked at me.

"Thank you so much!" I said, putting the bracelet back on.

"Yeah…thanks." Troy said, "It means a lot to her…" he grumbled and I practically elbowed lightly so he would shut up.

"No problem. Hey, thanks for giving me the whole tour of the school. I know, nobody likes the new kid." He shrugged, "I'm used to it."

"Used to it?"

"Yeah… I move around a lot." He shrugged, "Thanks. I gotta go!" he said, waving and walking off.

"See…he's not so bad." I said, "I feel bad for him actually…"

"Don't fall for it." Troy said, almost raging with jealousy, "And I still don't like him."

"Well…I kinda like him. He's nice." I said, smiling.

_OOOH! What do you guys think of Luke? He's kind of that sexy, mysterious, and ominous guy that every girl kind of wants in her life…right? Hm…interesting. Give me feedback and review! _

_independentHSMFAN23: Aw, I know. I thought it was cute and it was definitely fun writing that chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessatories1225788: Yeah…it's tomorrow. Hahaha. Well, it's okay. It doesn't matter and I'm sure they just got it wrong or they were confused. Oh well… and I'm sure it doesn't matter to you either since you don't celebrate it. Anyways, I'm sorry about your toe! …I remember dropping a knife on my foot. Yeah…not fun. Anyways, I'm glad you liked it. And I personally call them Samayla. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: Hahaha…I'm glad you liked the added cuteness in the chapter. Waking up boys is not fun. Especially cranky ones. And I KNOW RIGHT? Gosh, if only they would listen. Or at least take a hint. PSH! Yeah right! And totally! Every person wishes to have a response to what they do. In this case, writing! I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for reviewing! _

_Pumpkinking5: Hahaha, I'm glad you liked the chapter and the cuteness factor added to it! Thanks for reading and reviewing, as always! _

_Zanessafan4eva14: hahaha, it's okay. If you don't review, oh well! Some people just forget or don't feel the need which is totally understandable. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it! _

_Hollywoodbabe818: Aw well I'm glad you liked it! I hope this chapter was what you were hoping for! Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: I'm glad you liked it and I'm happy that you and everyone else liked the Sam and Kayla thing! Woo! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Okay, so seven review in the last…well less than a day? Not bad. Thanks for all of your support and I hope two updates in two days is good! Happy Thanksgiving! _


	8. An Interesting Day

_A/N: Hey guys! …Um I apologize for some confusion when you are reading. I didn't realize that my little breaks that I use don't show up on the website! Dang. I guess I'll have to use some other way! _

I smiled at Troy, who was holding hands with me underneath the table. Troy was eating, like…Troy. In other words, he was like a vacuum. I took a quick glance at Luke who was picking at his food with his fork from across the table. "So, Luke, do you like New Mexico?" I asked, trying to make sure he wasn't feeling like a total outcast.

"Um, yeah. It's nice. A lot different from New York." He said, giving me a small hint of a smile and finally giving me some sort of eye contact.

"Yeah. It's hot and it's quieter." I laughed, knowing exactly what he meant, "My friends actually came down from New York for the week. Maybe we could all hang out once we go back to New York. And we could totally get you a ticket and stuff." I suggested, almost wishing I was home with all my other friends.

"That would be nice…" Luke mumbled, almost losing his smile. What was up with this guy? Or…what was really going on his head?

"Hey, what's your number?" I said, ignoring his comment.

I grabbed my phone and shoved it towards him and he gladly put in his number for me into my cellphone.

"What do you mean…when you go back to New York?" Troy asked, his voice almost a whisper. And his grip began to tighten around my hand.

"Well…I was thinking about going to New York for the summer and then maybe…spend a year back at home. I mean…I am a little homesick…" I said, looking at Troy, hoping not to totally disappoint him.

"But you-"

"Troy…can we talk about this later?" I said, feeling all eyes on us. I didn't…I couldn't talk about this in front of everybody else. It wouldn't be fair and it just wouldn't be right.

Troy stared at me, his eyes growing darker, and his lips being pressed into a fine line and dropping my hand. "Yeah…" he said, looking away, and then back up at Luke, who was just staring at his full plate of food.

"Well…this awkward…" Zak grumbled, as he began to pick at his food as well.

"No…really?" I chuckled lightly, trying to see if I could fix the mood with a little bit of sarcasm and Zak's redundant sayings, "I thought we were all just fine. Y'know…it was one of those moments were the silent was nice."

"Y'know…your sarcasm is so hurtful!" Zak said, clenching his chest, where his heart would be, "I don't even know why I try and be your friend!" he said lightly, nudging me.

"…Yeah." I said, sadly, knowing that none of this was working. Carter was silently eating, avoiding eye contact, and acting as if nothing was wrong (he didn't do so well), Troy's jaw line said that he was angry, sad, and annoyed (which were all bad signs if you ask me), Zak was trying to make everyone smile (which wasn't working that well…obviously), Sharpay…left (too social for all of us…), and Taylor was doing her homework (as normal).

"So…um, Carter, how long did you live in New York?" I asked, hoping maybe that would cheer him up or at least change the topic.

"Long enough for me to get attached and then move." Luke mumbled, and I couldn't help but feel really bad for even asking the question.

"I'm sorry…" I said, "I shouldn't have bothered to ask. And if I do ask you any more stupid questions, feel free not to answer them…." I said, "It really isn't any of my business."

I felt horrible. Luke was staring down at the table, feeling very uncomfortable and the tension just grew even worse. I sighed lightly, and looked at Zak who gave me this look that said '_Don't-worry-about-it-he'll-come-around'_ but that didn't matter. It mattered that I was totally and utterly rude.

I sighed, and just got up. This was too much for me and honestly, I needed some air. And being surrounded by a people who seemed to need it more than I did…wasn't helping. "I'll see ya guys later." I shrugged, getting upset…probably over nothing.

I got up, but before I knew it, Troy grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug, "I'm sorry sweetie. I just…don't want to think about the fact that you could be leaving me in less than a year." Troy whispered into my ear, as he gently rocked me and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I know…" I said, hugging him tighter.

He slowly released me and kissed the top of my head, "Look, Luke, Gabi didn't mean anything by asking. She's…just trying to be friendly. So, if you want to leave…I mean go ahead, but we'd really like it if you would stay and…be a little more optimistic." Troy said, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Don't listen to Troy. It's fine and totally understandable that you are…uncomfortable." I smiled at Luke, feeling a little bit better. Troy had stood up for me…well…not really 'stood up' for me, but tried to help me with something else.

"I'm sorry guys. I'm just…not…I don't like getting close to people. That's all…" Luke gave a crooked smile and his eyes said that he was truly sorry…but really, he didn't need to apologize. "Let's start over. Um, I'm Luke Taylor. And you guys are?"

"Gabriella Montez. But I go by Gabi." I smiled, shaking his hand.

"And I'm Troy Bolton. It's nice to meet you, man." He smiled, shaking Luke's hand as well.

"Zak…Zak Greene." Zak smiled at Luke, and then smiled at me.

We went around the table once more, doing introductions and all of a sudden the awkward tension seemed to just melt away. "Well…it's nice to meet you all." Luke gave a genuine smile and I couldn't help but smile back. It was nice to see him have a smile on his face that didn't have any sign of a different emotion, other than happiness.

"You too." I smiled.

The day went by and it seemed as if the general confusion and tension had gone away. Okay…so Troy still didn't _love_ Luke…but it seemed as if they were getting along a little better. Or at least, Troy was acting like he thought of Luke as a good friend. I mean, Troy still doesn't like Zak being so close to me…so I guess I'll just have to live with Troy's jealousy.

I smiled at Troy as he drove through the neighborhood. "You're amazing, y'know that?" Troy asked, as he looked at me and smiled.

"…No?"

"Well you should. You are the sweetest girl I've ever met. You're so…down to earth." He said, "You don't ever really…judge people by what they look like. So you have your moments…but that's what makes you so perfect! I mean…all the flaws in a person I think…just makes someone all the better. They just have to be the right imperfections. And you-"

"Troy...as much as I love hearing your sweet compliments…I don't think I quite deserve them. But thank you. You're just as amazing as you say I am. Really." I said, grabbing his hand and holding it in between both of my, comparatively, small hands.

"No really Gabi…I'm like….a total jerk. If it weren't for you, I'd still be that cocky basketball star who everyone loved, but at the same time, everyone hated. Everyone can't help but love you and if they do hate you…it's because you have a lot of things that a person likes and wants. All the traits that everyone enjoys and-"

"Okay, enough complimenting Gabi." I blushed, feeling very uncomfortable from the very sweet and way too honest compliments coming from Troy.

"…Okay…" Troy had a small smile on his face and I couldn't help but just enjoy one of the best days here.

"WE'RE HOME!" Troy decided to yell in my ear.

"COULD YOU SCREAM ANY LOUDER?" I yelled back and Troy chuckled.

I rolled my eyes as he softly said, "Maybe…" and put his arm around my shoulder.

"How was school?" Kayla asked, yawning and coming up from the basement obviously.

"Great. I'm helping out a new kid and he's pretty nice. He's from New York." I said, falling onto the couch, "How are Mr. And Mrs-"

"Don't go there…" Kayla said with a serious face, "I may be dating Sam, but that doesn't mean you can start calling Mrs. Dedrick (a/n: I don't recall giving Sam or Kayla a last name…so if I did, I'm changing them both), I am MISS Reynolds." Kayla said, huffing as Sam came up, yawning as well.

"I woke up and my-"

"Hey Sam!" Kayla said running towards him and hugging him quickly before he could finish his last sentence.

"There you are. I woke up and you were gone."

"Oh, I heard Troy and Gabi get home so I wanted to come and see how their day was." Kayla shrugged and I rolled my eyes.

Today was an interesting day.

_I hope that was a quick-ish update for you guys. I've been trying to update a little bit better but finals are coming up quickly. BLEGH. _

_Zac is my life: Hahaha, well I can't say that I am…cuz then I'd be lying. I like to be woken up gently and not obnoxiously, or else I get grumpy…heh. Anyways, thanks for the review, as always and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! _

_x-TammieBaybii-x: It's funny how we just got done talking. Hah. I'm glad you liked both chapters and I hope we can talk a bit more. We'll just have to see. Anyways, thanks for the review and catching up with me! Love ya tons! _

_Anonymous14: It's fine hahaha. I'm just surprised at how much I'm losing reviewers. Anyways, thanks for reviewing this time! _

_Pumpkinking5: I think Luke will be an interesting change in character. It'll be nice and it'll change the vibe of the story. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Hollywoodbabe818: Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Well…all guys have their moments. And Troy isn't an exception. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Kellyharper: Guys have tempers so…sometimes the vent by hitting things. I kicked a door once. Troy was frustrated with himself…thus…hitting a wall. It's not that confusing…but I hope I clarified. Thanks for reviewing. And chapter seven was a mistake. I updated the wrong chapter. That's all._

_Hay it's maray: Yeah…you weren't the first one to tell me that I screwed up on the chapter stuff. I do that sometimes, but I think it was because I was tired. So um…thanks for reviewing chapter six and…the wrong chapter seven? _

_Zanessastories1225788: You hate Luke? Why is it people say they hate people? Sheesh! It's like every new girl or guy I put in a story automatically is going to break the two up. It's not true all the time. Luke is an interesting twist. And Zak is totally different. Zak is the guy that loses to Troy all the time but he will always be there for Gabi, even if he didn't win her heart. Anyways, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing. _

_I don't really feel the need to post replies to the last responses because they were alerting me and stuff. Now, here's the thing guys, before you go and reviewing, telling me I posted the wrong chapter, can you check if anybody else has already said it? I'm not angry, but it just spams my email telling me that I have ten emails telling me the same thing. Kind of a waste of time? Thanks for letting me know though. Review! _


	9. Coffee With A Friend

_A/N: I'm on break! Woot! Anyways, once again, my breaks aren't working. I've tried hyphens, an underscore, and periods. I guess I'll have to do some weird thing on FF or just use x's. Yucko. Anyways, enjoy the chapter and I apologize for like the two week long wait for my update. _

* * *

I stared at Troy as he just continued to talk from across the room. He was talking to all his buddies like usual. He was too social to just talk to me and give me _all_ of his attention, which was fine, because it's…Troy Bolton. "You really like him, don't you?" a voice said behind me, which surprised me so I jumped, falling out of my seat.

"Ow…" I said, rubbing my arm that I had hit on the ground. I looked up to see Luke who gave me a sheepish, apologetic smile. He rubbed the back of his neck, and kneeled down.

"Sorry…didn't mean to scare you." Luke chuckled, as he offered me a hand to help me up. I grabbed it and began to try and get up as he pulled and before I knew it, I was already up.

"Well aren't you strong." I laughed, as I sat down on the desk itself.

"Yep, and I'm very proud of it." He laughed, "Anyway, sorry about scaring you. I just um…saw you and-"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. And…by the way…yeah…I do really like him." I smiled, staring at Troy again who obviously didn't notice me fall on my ass. Isn't he a great boyfriend? ...Okay, well he is, but still. You'd think that he would at least look over at me every once and a while and see me fall.

"I can tell. Your eyes practically light up when you see him or somebody brings him up. It's like he's the one who shines light in your life." He said, looking at me in a serious, but comforting way.

A huge smile broke through. That was probably the sweetest thing ever. …Even if it wasn't complimenting me, it just kind of shows what kind of boy this guy is. He's very observant. "…he does." I said shyly.

"Sorry if I embarrassed you. But it's nice. Not a lot of people really have that kind of…love. Y'know?" Luke said softly, "It's hard to find, but when you do find it, it's simply breath-taking."

_My_ breath was taken away by what he just said. It was way too deep for…well even me. It was nice to hear him say that. Luke didn't seem like the guy who would think of love like that, let alone think so deeply about it. "Sorry if I'm bothering you too…" he chuckled lightly, as he looked at the ground as if he just realized what he'd been telling me for the last two minutes.

"No…it's totally fine. It was nice to hear you say that. Because…it's true. Love is hard to find. You must have given this a lot of thought. I mean, not many guys would even try and think about what you just said." I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I don't know. I just don't really have many friends when I move around, so I have a lot of free time to think." Luke shrugged, almost looking like he was deep in thought.

Before I could stop myself, words began spilling out of my mouth, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Why? Why did I have to ask that? Luke was staring at me bewildered. "Umm…" he said, his eyebrows furrowing from confusion, "No. Why?"

"…Just wondering." I said, "Y'know, since you mentioned all of that, I was wondering if you, well had a girlfriend." I said, blushing a little bit. Why was I blushing? Hell, why the heck did I even ask that? It was none of my business and I certainly didn't want to give off the wrong vibe.

"Oh. No…I don't. I kind of refuse to let myself get a girlfriend since I move so much." He said, "But it's no big deal. One day, god knows win, but one day I will be able to stay in one place any maybe find a girl." Luke shrugged, as if it was no big deal…but by his facial expression, you could easily tell that he was bothered by the subject.

But the thing was…you would have definitely thought he had a girlfriend. He was beyond attractive and he was quite charming. He was too good to not have a girlfriend, but because he moved so much, there was no way he could have a girlfriend; unless he was really good with long distance relationships..and to be honest, most people weren't. " Well…you will. I'm sure your parents won't make you move during your senior year. That would…sooo not be cool." I smiled at him, hoping I could be of some help.

"Nah. My parents promised we wouldn't move this year." Luke gave a weak smile.

"Well that's-"

"Okay class! Let's start with announcements!" Mrs. Darbus said, clapping her hands three times.

* * *

I sat down with a tray of food, next to Troy and Zak. "So…are you liking East High, Luke?" Zak said, being the kind guy he was.

"Yeah. It's nice…and there…are some…uh…nice people here." He said, looking a little bit uncomfortable.

"See any girls that catch your eye?"

…Okay…I could have SWORN Luke took a quick look at me. It's either that…or he looked at Troy…and that…would mean he was-nah. "Oh, really? Who?" Zak was obviously amused, because he raised his eyebrows and leaned in. Zak was such a gossiper. He was way too intrigued by other peoples' business.

"Just a girl. But…she's um…taken." Luke shrugged, "I'll just have to find another one…" Luke chuckled lightly.

"Don't worry. There are a lot of girls here. I can't say that I've dated enough to say that…but…well yeah. I mean, the last girl I dated was…Gabi, but uh-"

I stared at Zak, hoping and praying that he would just shut up. Did he really have to mention that I dated him? I mean, not to sound like I regretted dating him…but…Troy was going to- "Yeah…and now it's me." Troy smiled, putting his arm over me possessively. Great. Troy was being all…over-protective and jealous.

"…thanks for that." Zak mumbled.

I rolled my eyes, "Excuse me." I said, not wanting to see how this was going to play out. Troy was going to get angry with Zak and Zak wouldn't back down because he hates how Troy is always one step ahead of him.

"I'll follow." Luke said, obviously noticing the tense-ness of the whole situation.

I got up and waited for Luke to catch up and then we began to walk towards a different hallway for a few moments. Did Zak really have to mention…that? I mean, yes, I dated him, and yes he was practically the most perfect boyfriend ever…and _he_ broke up with _me _just so _I_ could date…_Troy_. But…it's not like I don't doubt dating Troy.

We walked down a hallway and managed to make it all the way to a staircase and we sat down on a step. "So what was that all about?"

"…Troy and Zak used to have this…rivalry between them."

"I think they still do…"

"Huh…I think your right." I chuckled lightly. He was absolutely, one hundred percent right.

"So…why did you and Zak break up?"

"Long story…" I said, recalling the long, long, long, story.

"I have time. And…we have most of the lunch period for you to tell me… and then you could probably tell me over…coffee after school?"

I stared at him for a while. "Sure…" I said, giving him a crooked smile. It was a nice gesture…and Luke needs some friends.

"So…where does it all start?"

"Well…it all started when my mom decided that she was going to Oregon for work…" I began.

* * *

I was at a table with Luke at Starbuck's sipping a white chocolate mocha. "And that….was my summer…with the Boltons." I smiled, almost wanting to sigh because I managed to tell the whole story or…at least the high parts of it…and the completely low part of it.

"Wow…" he was wide eyed, like it was the best fairy tale story he had ever heard. And I have to admit…it was a really good story. It was…upsetting when I remember the bad parts, but when we got to the good parts, I couldn't help but smile. It was a good summer…

"Yeah. Tell me about it." I laughed.

"So…that's how and you and THE Troy Bolton ended up getting together?" Luke said, sipping some water (apparently, he's not a coffee drinker).

"Yeah…it was…interesting." I laughed lightly, "I mean, it's not like he's not a bad guy…but he can be hard to handle sometimes." I sighed.

"Well, it seems to me like he treats you like a princess." Luke joked.

I rolled my eyes at his stupid joke. Then all of a sudden, my phone began to buzz in my purse. I smiled weakly at Luke and he just shrugged, giving me the okay to answer it. It was Troy. And I totally forgot to tell him that I was going out with Luke…oops. "Hey!"

"Hey, where are you? I waited for you, but Zak said you went out." Troy said, sounding curious and more agitated.

"Um, I'm at Starbuck's with Luke. We decided to hang out for a while. But I'll be home soon." I said, hoping that Troy wouldn't let his jealousy get the better of him. Luke wasn't hitting on me and I wasn't hitting on him. Well, at least that's what I think.

"Oh…okay. Why are you with-"

"Troy, don't worry about me. I was just telling him why I was here in New Mexico and he was doing the same. I'll be home as soon as I can. But I think Luke and I are going to go out for a walk to walk off all the coffee cake we ate." I laughed, looking at Luke who just gave me a smile.

"Okay…" Troy said sounding cautious, "Um, I'll tell my mom and dad. Zak said that he wanted to talk to you by the way, when you got home."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll see you when I get home. I love you…" I said, hoping he knew that I meant it.

"I love you too. Bye."

I pressed the end button and looked up at Luke who raised his eyebrows, "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he was just wondering where I was. I was thinking though, we should go for a walk and then, from there, I'll just walk home." I said.

"You know…we drove here, right?" Luke chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. But we can come back…" I shrugged, "Or…you can."

"But I wouldn't want you to walk home." Luke insisted, "Here, how about I drive you home and tomorrow, we can hang out again?" Luke suggested.

"Fine. Deal." I said.

* * *

I knocked on Zak's door and he immediately opened the door and pulled me in. "What are you so agitated about?" I said, staring at Zak. He looked a little worried and a little annoyed.

"Why were you with Luke?" Zak asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Um…because he wanted to hang out and I wanted to make him feel like he had a friend, which he does; so I said yes. Is that a problem…?"

"No. It's just, Troy was getting really annoyed and he kept bothering me, like I knew what you guys were doing, which I didn't. I just wanted to let you know, that Troy will be watching Luke very closely now. He's got this hunch that he's trying to steal his lady."

"I don't think so. It was all very casual. Neither of you should be worried." I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Well, tell that to Troy." Zak said, leaning against the railing on the stairs, becoming less tense.

"Right. Well, I have to go. I have a butt-load of homework. I'll see you later." I said, getting annoyed with the fact that _both_ Troy and Zak were getting worried about Luke. Luke was a good guy. I just knew it.

* * *

_Again, I am very sorry about my late update. I had been busy with some family stuff this week, but I'll try and update a bunch today and this week overall. Anyway, replies: _

_Zanessafan4eva14: You guess? Huh. I guess I'll have to try harder to impress. Hahaha, just kidding. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter, so thank you for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: Hahahaha. I think we all day dream about Zac...or Troy. Depends though, I guess. And haha! I'm exactly the same way! Well, at least ninety percent of the time. I don't take wakin up very well. I'm a night person. I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Dave Piella: Glad you liked it! :) Thanks for reviewing! _

_pumpkinking5: Well...obviously, no she's not going to New York NOW...but it will be soon. And who knows, maybe it'll be both. :O_

_Zanessastories1225788: And I bet after this chapter, you probably hate Luke. Hahaha. Oh well... I'm supposed to keep you readers on your toes about new characters I guess. I don't think it's weird, but I guess it's because I remember things easily, it's okay, but it literally used to take me a while to type out all the numbers in your sn. So...that's why I found it a tad bit weird that now I don't have to keep switching windows to type it. Hah! And you can use sheesh when you want to! Sheesh! (see what I did there?) Glad you liked that chapter! Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Glad you loved it. Thanks for reviewing. _

_So...only six reviews. That's okay. It's my normal reviewiers that I love so much. And it is my fault. _


	10. Its Amazing What Jealousy Can Do

I began to open the front door and immediately I was hit with a blast of music. Pop music. Which meant, Kayla chose the music and Sam wanted to practically kill himself. I walked toward the back and the back door was wide open and I saw Sam and Kayla dancing together and Troy was on the basketball court shooting hoops. I looked to the side and saw Lucille and Jack sipping lemonade. I couldn't help but smile. Everyone was so happy.

"GABI!" Kayla screamed, as she turned off the iHome that was blasting and running toward me and hugging me, "Where have you been? Troy has been really annoyed. He won't talk to anybody." She whispered.

"I was with Luke at Starbucks. Troy knew that. I told him and he said he was okay with it. I mean, no he didn't sound like he was okay with it, but if he was so bothered by it, he should have told me." I said softly, "Right?"

Kayla's tense look began to soften and she gave me a small smile, "Gabs, it _is_ Troy. You can't expect him to tell you. You have to talk to him too. And since you did talk to Luke and go with him for coffee, I'm sure Troy wanted to make sure that you knew he wasn't…jealous." Kayla shrugged, but still giving me a look that made me feel guilty.

I looked over to Troy who had just made a shot. He wiped his forehead and then looked toward me. He looked like he gave me a sad smile and then went back to shooting baskets. "Don't worry about Troy, Gabs. If anything, he's just blowing off steam. He can't be so angry that he'd stop talking to you for the rest of the night. He's not like that." Kayla said, "Just let him cool down."

I sighed, angrily. "Why should I let him cool down when he's the one getting jealous of something that isn't a threat? It's not like I'm cheating on him! He's over reacting and being very irrational." I whisper-yelled and Kayla rolled her eyes in response.

"Because it's Troy! He was telling Sam that he did love you. Sam said that he was positive he was being absolutely one-hundred percent sincere. He also said, that Troy said that he was very cautious with you. He doesn't want to hurt you but at the same time he doesn't want to get hurt either. Troy said that you were his first love." Kayla looked at me directly in the eye.

I nodded, showing that I understood. "But-"

"No buts missy; just let him cool down and you can cool down too. I don't want to see you guys fighting again. It isn't fun and neither of you need it because we all know that you guys need each other." Kayla said.

"I know," I said with a huff, "I'm just going to do my homework. It's getting late and I'm tired."

Kayla gave me a small nod and with that, I was gone. I walked back into the house and ran upstairs to my room. I threw my bag on my bed and did the same with my body. I was so sick of this stupid drama with Troy. I was sick of trying to make sure that I wasn't doing anything to bother him. I can have friends, can't I? And even if Luke did like me, which he _doesn't_, then I wouldn't give into him. Troy is, and always will be my boyfriend. I wish he's understand that though.

I grabbed my laptop from my desk and set it on my lap, then logged in.

_**OrignalNewYorker wants to add you as a friend, do you accept? **_

I stared at the screen. Who the heck was that? I began typing…

_**NewYorkGurl17: who is this? **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Oh, hey. I didn't expect you to get on.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Ok…I will ask again. Who is this? **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Sorry. I didn't want to seem like a creep. This is Luke. Zak was nice and gave me your screen-name. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Oh! Hey! **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Yeah…sorry about that. So, what's up? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Honestly? **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: No. I want you to lie to me. ;) "I love the way you lie!" **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Very funny. And that song is barely relevant. At all.**_

_**OriginalNewYorker: I know, I know. I just felt like quoting it. And yes, I want you to answer honestly. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Okay. I'm angry and aggravated. Other than that, I'm as happy as a clown. **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: If I told you I was afraid of clowns, you wouldn't be bothered would you? Oh and why are angry and aggravated? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: You just told me and I'm not bothered. And Troy was angry with me because I went out with you for coffee and he seems to think it was something more than what we had intended. He gets very jealous, very easily. **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: I'm sorry. Look, if you want me to clear things up with Troy, I will. I didn't mean to get you guys fighting. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Oh no, don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault. It's not like you were asking me out. He and I will talk about it later.**_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Okay…well I'm sorry about all that. If you ever need anything you can talk to me.**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: thanks, that means a lot. **_

_**Bolton21 has logged on **_

Great. That's just great.

_**OriginalNewYorker: No problem. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: **____** So, what are you up to? **_

There was absolute no way I was going to talk Troy. Nope. No way!

_**OriginalNewYorker: Well I logged on to look some stuff up for English, but then I ended up logging on instead and now I'm talking to you. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Oh well…everyone does that. **_

_**Bolton21 has sent you a message**_

I stared at the window. I couldn't decide what to do. I sighed, then decided that I might as well talk to him. If I didn't, then he'd be mad. I clicked on the tab.

_**Bolton21: hey**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: hey. **_

_**Bolton21: whyd you go back inside? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: because I was tired and I wanted to do my homework. **_

_**Bolton21: and it had nothing to do with me? **_

_**OriginalNewYorker has sent you a message**_

I clicked on that tab.

_**OrignalNewYorker: So, did you fix things with Troy? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: kind of. Okay. That's a lie. No. He just sent me a message.**_

_**OriginalNewYorker: And? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: And nothing. Nothing really has happened…so far. **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Oh. Okay. And sorry if I'm invading your personal life. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Oh don't worry about it! You're not invading! **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Oh well that's good! Phew! **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Haha…**_

_**Bolton21 has sent you a message**_

I sighed and clicked on that tab.

_**Bolton21: I'll take that as a yes. **_

Again, I sighed. Why does have to come to conclusion? I guess I might as well be honest with him…

_**NewYorkGurl17: It's a kind of. And I was talking to Luke so that's why I'm not replying quickly. Sorry…**_

_**Bolton21: of course you are. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: What's that supposed to mean? **_

_**Bolton21: It means I'm not surprised. **_

I growled, then clicking on the home tab. I clicked on the status bar and began typing: "Boys are a pain."

_**OriginalNewYorker has sent you a message**_

I'm getting sick of switching conversations…

_**OriginalNewYorker: I'm guessing Troy is…um, how do I say this nicely without bothering you? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: An asshole? Yeah. You're right. **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Those are some harsh words. That bad? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Yes. **_

I switched tabs, remembering that I was probably supposed to reply to Troy's little reply or else he'd get all paranoid and get angrier with me. And it's not fun.

_**NewYorkGurl17: Of course you aren't. Anyway, Troy, I don't want to talk anymore. So I'll talk to you later. **_

_**Bolton21: No. What you mean is you don't want to talk to me anymore. And personally, Gabs, I think we need to talk about this thing. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: WHAT THING?**_

_**Bolton21: You know WHAT THING! **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Actually. I don't. **_

_**Bolton21: Yes you do. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: I know what thing it is. But this 'thing' isn't a big deal. **_

_**Bolton21: Well that's your opinion. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Why don't you just say his name? HUH? **_

_**Bolton21: I can't technically say it. So…there. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Bye Troy. **_

I switched tabs quickly.

_**NewYorkGurl17: Hey. Um…I'm gonna get off because Troy is kind of bothering me so I'll talk to you later. I'm sorry I have to go because he's being a pain but we can talk tomorrow. See you! Oh…and thanks for the chat and stuff. It was nice. **___

_**OriginalNewYorker: No problemo. Sorry about your boy problems. ;) see you tomorrow. **_

I logged off before Troy could even say anything that would make me matter. Not that, that was probably possible, but I was already infuriated. I got up, then locked my door before Troy could come in and wanting to talk to me.

I grabbed my bag and got out my Calc book and turned to the page that was assigned to us as that lovely thing called homework. I grabbed a pencil and started working on it, but before I could even write the date on my homework there was a knock. "Who is it?" I said, pretty sure I knew who it was.

"Sam."

"Good try Troy." I rolled my eyes. That was little plan? Wow. Mischievous.

"Gabi, we need to talk. I don't care if you want to talk. I do and if we don't talk about it, I doubt we'll be able to fix it."

"Well if we talk when I'm not ready then we DEFINITELY will not be able to fix it."

"It's not about one of us Gabs. It's about both of us."

"And lemme tell you Troy. We're BOTH overreacting and it's not good." I said, opening the door, because I was sick of talking through a door.

"I know. And I'm sorry." He whispered, pulling me into a hug, "But I don't like this Luke guy. He seems like he's up to know good and I don't want to think that. You like him as a friend and I know that but this little part of my mind wants me to think differently because of every other girl that I've dated."

"Troy-"

"And I know you're nowhere near any of the girls I've dated but…I'm cautious. I'm sorry. I really am." Troy said, "I feel like a total idiot. And I am an idiot and I keep saying sorry to you and it's not cool, but I can't help it! It's like this built in reactions that has been tattooed into my brain!"

Troy looked at me and I could see that his eyes were red and they looked like he had been crying. "Troy, it's okay, I just...can't keep doing this. I'm getting sick of all this drama. Y'know? Back at home, I never had this drama. I never had this trouble with boys. Well, part of it is because I didn't have a boy, but I still didn't have this much trouble even when I liked a guy. I just think maybe it might be safe if we-"

"Please don't say take a break." Troy said.

"I think we should take a break Troy. We both seem to be overreacting and I don't like it." I sighed.

Troy looked away from me and sighed. "Fine."

Troy walked away and went to his room and practically slammed the door shut so hard that I could feel it in my soul and it hurt. A lot. "What was that?" Sam said from the downstairs.

I just stared at him and I could feel tears begin to blur my vision. Sam ran up the stairs and pulled into my stairs. "It's my fault. He's angry with me and I know I shouldn't have suggested it but I think it's the best way to get things back to where they were. That way we both can realize what we mean to each other." I cried, hoping that I didn't totally ruin everything I had with Troy.

"Do what Gabs?" Sam said, hugging me tightly.

"I told him we should go on a break for a little while and he stormed off." I said, finally falling from Sam's arms and leaning against the wall, bringing my knees to my chest.

Sam looked at me sympathetically and sat down next to me. "Well that's his loss. And maybe you're right. You guys need a break from eachother."

"Yeah. Maybe."

….

_I hoped you guys enjoyed the chapter and once again, I'm deeply sorry for the late update as always. _

_Dasher21: …Hm. Well I think both you and papagina21 need to understand writing isn't my life. That's all. And I know that sounds really rude but it's true. I'm glad you liked it though and I am sorry I can't write more. Writing does mean a lot to me but it's not my life and I can't focus on it as much as you guys wish I could. Sorry. Thanks for the review though. _

_Papagina21: If you're bothered by my lack of updating then stop reading it or something. I don't mind and again, I know I sound rude but you guys need to understand writing isn't my life. I am dedicated but I don't think you understand that this writer also has a social life and a school life that I need to commit to as well. Some people don't even update for a year so don't tell me I don't deserve my review. I personally think that was a little a rude and I offended by it. I will update when I can and I can't promise anything and if you think you don't like it then stop getting alerts and read an author's work who can update every week. Sorry if you think I'm coming off strong but I was offended by your review. And I also write other stories too on fictionpress so it's not just this story all the time. _

_Hay its mar-ay: I can't say that I don't understand why you're cautious of Luke. Most people are. Hah! And after reading your review it brought a smile to my face after reading the other ones after yours because they weren't very understanding about why I can't update. And I do want to update! I really do, but I can't and sometimes I just don't have the energy to write. __ But thank you so much for your support! It means a lot! _

_x-TammieBaybii-x: Well…it's Troy. Whadya expect? Haha! But…I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the review! _

_Zac is my life: Hahahahaha! Your review definitely made me laugh. And actually, my cousins are morning people. They like to wake up at like 6-8 almost every morning, even during the summers. And don't worry about Luke. Or do. I don't know. I can't spoil it at all. Hehe. But I'm glad you like it! And hahaha…well Zac Efron is pretty cool. ;) Thanks for reviewing! _

_Sara: They will. But they just need to fix things. Y'know? Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessatroyella2013: Well I think this chapter just answered that question. Heh. Thanks for the review! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: …I guess you'll find out. Thanks for the review! _

_Pumpkinking5: It's true. Troy is clueless, but then again, it seems like all boys are. I seem to keep forgetting that personally and then I end up regretting the fact that I even talk to boys. Blegh. Anyways, as always, thanks for review! _

_Ally: He is. Obviously. Haha! Thanks for the review! _

_Zanessastories1225788: Hahaha well it's okay. It's kind of stuck with me too now. Oddly enough. But honestly, I think after too many chapter replies and people continue to review, I get to the point where I remember things. And oh. Well sheesh is a fun word to say and use but hey, maybe you can make it a trend? Who knows? And I heard about Zanessa but I don't think it matters. Whatever you think works for you. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Teamedwardakazanessarules101: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Okay..normally I'd end it here. But…I have a little author's rant for all ya'lls and most of you seem to be very nice about it but I got two reviews that didn't like my uh…updating. One in particular and I know this is really rude, but you guys definitely need to remember I have to focus on other things. I do enjoy writing this story and everything else in between but I can't be writing every week when school is more important. I'm sorry if it bothers you and to be honest, it bothers me too but I can't change school or my inspiring moments. We just need to be patient together. Thanks to those who do understand fully back me up! __ Sorry about my long rant! _


	11. A Day Alone Can Fix Everything

Yesterday was definitely not fun. I had gone to school, but I ended up walking to school because I didn't want to bother Zak with my problems and Troy was too angry to even look at me, let alone give me a ride to school. So, I told Lucille that I wanted to walk because it was nice out and she bought it.

The rest of the day consisted of me being totally isolated. Zak would talk to me a little bit, but then I'd change the subject and then leave it at that and then leave the conversation completely. Luke tried to talk to me also, but I did the same thing. Actually, I rarely talked to Luke. I felt like total crap because every time I was with Luke, Troy was somewhere, staring at us.

I woke up the next morning, my hair was a mess and my eyes were tired and I could feel the bags underneath them because of the crying that I had been doing the night before. I'll be honest, I felt like total crap last night after telling Troy that it would be a good idea if we just took a break. I know he deserves a lot more than that from me, but I think if we take a little space apart then we'll both be able to appreciate what the other brings to our lives. As cheesy as that sounds…

I opened up my blinds and my drapes and let the sunrise shine through my window. "Aah! Much better!" I said, stretching, feeling like I was in some weird Disney movie.

I slipped out of my clothes and then took a nice warm shower. It was nice and it luckily relaxed me from all the constant loud music coming from Troy's room. I felt bad. I really did. Especially since Troy was blasting his music from his room. Why? Because when Troy was upset about anything, he blasts music so it drowns out whatever he's doing (which normally consists of screaming or yelling).

I got out of the shower and decided on some dark washed jeans and a light blue t-shirt with a cammi underneath. Luckily, it was the weekend and I could spend the day moping around the house without getting yelled at. I didn't want to go out and I didn't want to stay in either.

I made my bed and then decided that it would be a good idea to probably get something to eat now, before Troy decided that he needed to as well. I wasn't ready to confront him at all. I mean, how could I? I ended it…sort of and he was angry and I hate getting glares from that boy. One glare from him and it's like you're the worst person he's ever met.

I walked down the stairs, noticing that it was oddly quiet and I couldn't help but wonder, where was everybody? I got to the kitchen, noticing there were two notes. '_Gabriella, Troy, Sam, And Kayla, Jack and I decided that it would be nice if we went out together for a little while. There's food in the fridge for all of you and we'll be back a little late today. –Jack and Lucille'_

I sighed. I looked at the other note, '_Gabs-We decided we should let you and Troy work things out without our help. Troy is pretty beat up about all of this so we left. Not like…left, left but…we went out. We'll be back but 'till then, can you just give Troy one last chance? He wouldn't even come out of his room when we came to go check up on him. So, okay…he's a jerk, but you guys should still talk. Without us. So, we'll be back around six. We love you! –Sam and Kayla '_

I looked up, and then turned around to see Troy staring at me. How was I supposed to react? What was I supposed to do? Smile? Leave? Go back to what I was doing? "Hey." He said, "Where is everyone?"

"Uh…your mom and dad left and Sam and Kayla decided to leave too." I said, "So it's just us two for the day, unless Zak decides to make a visit." I shrugged.

I hate these awkward moments when you want more than what the other person is giving you, but you don't want to give more to them because you're afraid of what they'll give you back. "Oh." He said, "Okay."

I nodded. I went to the fridge to grab the milk and then went to the cabinet to grab my cereal and then my bowl. Troy did the same and it was just really weird. I didn't know what to do. It was like we were these strangers who were stuck in a house together and we didn't know what to do about it. "So, what are you doing today?" Troy asked, as he sat down at the table and I sat down at the counter top.

"I don't know…" I said, "Maybe go out for a walk." I paused, "You?"

"Go for a run. Then relax in the pool."

It was like the two of us were complete strangers. "Cool." I said, eating the last few bites of my cereal.

"So, um, are you going to hang out with anybody today?"

"Not that I can think of. Maybe Zak, but I don't think I want to deal with Zak right now…"

"And why's that?" he said, looking confused.

"I avoided everybody yesterday at school and they'll probably want to keep asking me why I'm so distant. And…I don't want to lay my problems on everybody. Especially Zak." I said, "And I don't know." I sighed heavily. What am I doing? Why would he want to hear this? Why is he even talking to me?

"Oh." Troy said.

"What about you?" I said, "Anybody you'll be seeing today?" I said, wondering if he was deciding to go talk to some girls or something today…

"Oh. No. Maybe Chad or something." He said, shrugging.

"Oh cool." I nodded my head, "Well, I'll see you later. I'm going to go spend some time in my room. If you need me, you know where I am."

He nodded. I put away my bowl in the dishwasher and zoomed straight passed him and up into my room. I grabbed my laptop and flipped it open and logged on quickly. Please tell me that Kayla and Sam were on!

I looked at the screen and the only person who was online was…Luke. But before I could log out, he sent me a message.

_**OriginalNewYorker: Hey I know you've been avoiding me and stuff, but I was just wondering…why? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Reasons that I don't feel need to be discussed. **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Still going to give me the cold shoulder?**_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Kind of. Look, I just don't wanna talk. Okay? **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Does it have to do with Troy? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: No. It has to do with me. **_

_**OrignalNewYorker: And how you broke up with Troy. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: I didn't break up with Troy. **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Oh, really? Because everyone is saying that Troy said you two broke up. **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: But we didn't. **_

_**OriginalNewYorker: Does Troy know that? **_

_**NewYorkGurl17: Bye Luke. **_

I rolled my eyes, logging out of messenger and then slamming my head down on my desk. Was it true? Did Troy really tell everyone that the two of us broke up?

I opened my door and noticed that the loud music was beginning to play again. I knocked on his door loudly, hoping that he'd hear. The door swung open and he looked at me strangely, "Yeah?"

"Can we talk?"

"Um, sure." He said, "What about?"

He shut his door and I just backed up so that my back was against the opposite wall, "Um, I heard that you told a few people that…we broke up."

"Gabi…-"

"I don't think you did and I know you wouldn't, but I just want to make sure you wouldn't do that."

"No I wouldn't. Gabi, even though I'm…extremely frustrated with you, I would never do that. You know that I care about you way too much to even say that. I couldn't even admit to myself that we were _just_ on a break. I still can't." he said, looking at me with tense eyes.

I smiled weakly, "I knew that." I said, "And I don't think I can bare the fact that you and I aren't…together technically."

"Neither can I."

"Troy I'm really sorry that I said all those things the other day. I was just so angry with you! I couldn't stand the fact that you were being this totally different person from the guy I knew during summer and I thought a break would be a great idea. And I guess it wasn't…"

"Gabi…it's okay. We're both sorry and I promise, I won't do any of that again. Well, okay scratch what I just said. I can't promise anything, because if I break those promises to you, I won't be able to live with myself. But I can promise you that I never truly, intentionally meant to hurt you. I do care about you and I do love you."

I smiled, "I love you too."

I walked towards Troy and brought my face towards him. He smiled, then brought his hands to my face and brushed his lips against mine. If it was possible, I was smiling. "So does this mean we're okay now?" Troy smiled at me.

"We're more than okay." I smiled, kissing him once more.

…

Troy and I were in the basement watching 'Letters To Juliet' because we were both extremely bored and we decided that it was a good movie for the mood. "WE'RE HOME!" I heard a familiar male voice coming from upstairs.

"I guess Sam and Kayla are home." Troy chuckled, and I smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey!" I said, as I ran up the stairs, opening the door.

"Hey! How'd things go here?" Sam asked, hugging me.

"We did fine." Troy spoke, as he wrapped his arm around my waist protectively, "What about you guys?"

"We had fun. We went to the park and we went out to eat. It was nice." Kayla smiled, hugging Sam tightly.

"So, I take it you two made up?" Sam laughed, as Troy was kissing my cheek and neck.

"Stop it!" I giggled, pushing Troy away, "Yeah…" I giggled once more, "We did."

"Good to hear." Sam smiled, winking at me, "C'mon Kayla, let's go."

"But we just got home! And we're leaving tomorrow!" Kayla pleaded, looking at Sam with her puppy face and then back at me.

"Aw c'mon Sam. It's not like I don't see Troy every single day." I laughed.

"Hey!" Troy said, sounding offended.

"Hey yourself! It's not like I don't mind seeing you every single day. But…I just want to spend time with my two best friends before they leave." I said, nudging Troy playfully.

"Fine. I'll just have you all to myself later." He smiled mischievously, "What do you guys want to do?"

_Okay so that was a little short and I'm sorry. I decided since I'm on this weird 'snow day' thing, I thought I should write. I've been trying to write this chapter but I never have time. I know I owe you guys and I will try and update a lot more once it's summer, but I can't promise that either. I don't even know whether or not I'll be home during the summer. _

_Hay its mar-ay: Well I'm glad you liked it and I hoped this chapter didn't disappoint either. Thanks for reviewing! _

_iHeartChannyZanessaCailey: Well I'm glad you like the story and that's so very nice of you to say I'm a talented writer, when really, there are several others who are better than me! Thank you so much for understanding and it means a lot! Thanks for taking your time to review! _

_x-TammieBaybii-x: We do have to catch up but it seems to me like that'll never happen. You are never on and when you are on, I'm sure I'm not on. Oh well! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I'm definitely going to try and update a little bit more. Thanks for reviewing, as always! _

_Teamedwardakazanessarules101: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks so much for reviewing! _

_Sara: well…this chapter didn't have much drama but I'm planning on making this a little bit bigger when it comes to drama. Thanks for reviewing! _

_ImABelieber: Well I'm so flattered by your review! First off, thank you so much for understanding about the updating thing, but to be honest, I feel horrible for not updating and I try as hard as I can to update more. And by the way, I love Zak too! ;) anyways, thanks so much for your very sweet review! _

_Zac is my life: Hahahahaha. Well sleep is definitely important! But then again, I still don't get enough of it. I mean, I'll stay up till 12am during the weekdays and then wake up super-duper early for school, but then during weekends, I'll end up falling asleep at like seven and then waking up at like ten! (And I still don't know why we have been talking about sleep for the last few chapters. But oh well! It's a fun topic!) I'm glad you liked the previous chapter and hopefully you'll this chapter just as much. To be honest, I feel like I'm losing my writing mojo. __ Thanks for your review though! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review. _


	12. Our Goodbyes Aren't Forever

_Hey guys…I know you guys are probably wanting to take me by the neck and then hang me because I have not been updating at all. But I have been so busy with testing the last week and then I've been trying to keep my head on straight. I've been in this really 'depressed' and 'down' mood and if you knew me, you know if I don't fix it, I go to extremes when I'm upset. I know you guys want me to update a lot more, but I can't do that unless I'm not giving you guys my 100 percent and it seems to me like I haven't been doing that at all lately. Most people are just giving up on me and I apologize, but I promise that I will try harder to write better. I can't promise I'll update more, because I'm kind of rushed on time almost ALL THE TIME. But hopefully you guys will forgive me and by the summer, I'll have a lot more time on my hands. Once again, I apologize, and I'd like to thank the people who understand. __ Lots of love! _

I stared at Troy, smiling. How could I have gotten so lucky? Okay, sure he was a pain the butt sometimes, but when he was at his best, he was _at his best_. "Well?" he said, staring Kayla and Sam.

The both shrugged, "Well, no offense to you and your town, Troy, but this town is kind of…boring. There's nothing exciting. At least when you all came to you New York we had places to go and things to see." Kayla said, giving him a weak smile.

"Well ouch!" Troy said, putting his hand over his hand, pretending to be hurt by the harsh comment.

"I hate to say it," I said, "But she is right."

"You too?" Troy said, acting shocked, "Double ouch!"

"I guess that makes three then?" Sam laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well you guys don't deserve to stay here then!" Troy scoffed, "Sheesh! This town is amazing and if you don't appreciate it, then…then…I guess you guys should just leave now!"

I rolled my eyes, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist, "So that includes me?"

"No. You can stay here and suffer along with me." he winked.

I laughed, "Okay, enough with the joking around. What should we do?"

"Well…" Troy sighed, "We could, stay here and watch movies, go out and see a movie, walk around and talk, swim in the back, get together with the rest of the gang and bowl or something, go out and eat, or just stay here and do absolutely nothing."

I looked at Kayla and Sam, who were staring at each other all lovey-dovey. "Well, I think they should choose because they are the guests but it seems to me, like they would rather stay here and stare at each other for the rest of the night." I murmured to Troy who chuckled at my comment.

"I heard that." Kayla said, still staring at Sam.

"Oh gag me." I said, rolling my eyes, "It's true. Do you guys want to just stay in?" I said, feeling tired anyways.

"I like that idea." Sam said, "What about you, Troy?"

"I don't see why not." He shrugged.

"Then let's do it! I'll get a movie and you guys can grab some snacks and make popcorn." Sam said, grabbing Kayla by the forearm and dragging her downstairs, to the basement.

. . . . . . .

We got to the airport and I couldn't help but think, '_When will be the next time I will see these two?'_ Sure, there would be graduation, but graduation is months from now. The whole ride here was silent as well, the whole time, the radio was on, but we were all staring out a window, like we were complete strangers.

Lucille and Jack got the bags from the trunk and we began walking toward the entrance of the airport, still completely silent. "Gabs?" Troy whispered.

I looked at him, "Yeah?"

"You okay?"

I pressed my lips together and shrugged, "Sure?" I offered, staring off into the distance.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure. I'm content, I guess."

"You don't seem content. You seem, sad."

I laughed lightly, "Of course I'm sad. I'm going to miss Sam and Kayla. I have known them for way too long and now I won't see them in a long time. What's worse, is that when I do see them, it'll be at graduation, but what will happen then? Will I go see them graduate and then stay there, so I can get back to New York, or do I stay here and graduate while they visit me and would that be fair?" I sighed, getting all my frustration out.

"Gabs, we'll find out when we get there."

"I don't want to find out when we get there, Troy. I want to make sure that _this_ isn't just some weird fling and if it isn't, then what are we going to do about it."

"Well then we'll talk about it, Gabs. I know for sure, that _this _isn't a fling. But right now, I don't want you to stress about it, when we're trying to make sure we say goodbye to Sam and Kayla properly. Okay?" Troy grabbed my hand and held it tightly, "Everything will be okay in the end, and if it's not, then it's not the end." He smiled at me, quoting one of my favorite quotes.

I smiled, continuing to walk into the airport, watching Sam and Kayla walking hand in hand in front of us.

"Thanks Troy." I whispered, "I'm just…freaking out."

"It's okay. It's cute when you freak out." He laughed, winking.

. . . . .

"Well I guess this is it." Sam said, staring at me and then Troy.

I nodded, looking down at my feet. This was probably the most awkward way of saying goodbye to these two. I didn't understand why they were acting weird and why I was acting weird. It's not like we were acting weird about saying goodbye before.

I couldn't say anything. It was like, if I said bye, then it would be true. "I'll miss you guys." Troy said, "You guys are so…well…amazing. I'm glad I got to meet you and well, I know I'll see you guys again." He said, trying to make sure that the awkwardness didn't keep building.

"Aw, Troy." Kayla smiled, "You are such an amazing guy."

"Ahem."

Kayla rolled her eyes, "Well you are too, Sam, but I see you all the time. Anyways, Troy, Lucille, and Jack, thank you so much for taking us in and letting us stay in your home. I know I'm speaking for both of us, when I say we had a great time. We will miss you a lot but like Troy said, we'll see each other again." She said, hugging Lucille and Jack.

"It was our pleasure." Lucille smiled, "You two are welcome, at any time."

"I hope you guys come back soon." Jack nodded, "It was great having you both."

"Well thanks again!"

"Of course." Lucille smiled, "Anyways, we're going to leave you guys and Jack and I will go get the car ready, okay? It was great seeing you guys and I hope you come back soon. Have a nice flight!"

"Thanks Lucille." Kayla said, "Bye!"

Lucille and Jack both waved as they walked away. I looked at Troy and he gave me a comforting smile. I looked down at the floor and I honestly, didn't know what to say to them. "I hate this." Kayla said, groaning, "Why can't we just say bye? I mean…c'mon!"

I laughed a little, knowing that I should have known that Kayla was going to say that. Kayla was always so front-forward and she would say how she felt. She hated when things got weird between people. "Gabi?"

I looked up and weakly smiled at her.

"I'll miss you sweetie. I love you so much and I don't want you to stress about everything. You'll do fine here and we'll talk, just like before. We'll see each other again and even if you don't come back this summer, it'll be okay. We'll talk and keep in touch. Stop worrying about it. Sure, it's not fair, but that doesn't mean anything. Life isn't fair and you need to get through your head. If you don't come home, then that's okay. I'll see you another time. If you do, then great, but we'll also figure out everything else. I'll miss you so much and I'll hate myself if I don't get out everything I have on my mind." She said.

I felt tears fill my eyes, feeling like I was make a huge deal about something so small. "It's okay Kay. I'm just stressed about stuff. I love you too and I know it'll be okay, I'm just worried that if I don't see you again, or Sam, then I'll feel like I'm taking you guys for granted and leaving you behind for what I found here. But I don't Troy to feel like that either and-"

"Oh both of you, just shut up." Sam said.

Kayla and I went wide eyed. Sam never spoke to us like that.

"We will all be okay. Okay? We'll make it through this, we will see each other again, we will talk to each other and keep in touch. Gabriella and Troy will get through this as well and we need to stop stressing about this. Let's live now instead of the future. The future is scary." Sam said, sighing heavily, "Let's just stop with all the sad, depressing 'what if's.' I love you both, but sometimes I just want to smack the life out of you because you guys stress yourselves out."

I stared at Sam and he finally smiled. "Sorry." He chuckled nervously.

I ran to him and hugged him tightly, "I'll miss you so much."

"Me too sweetie." Sam said, hugging me back, "But hey, _our_ goodbyes aren't forever."

"Exactly." Kayla smiled.

I parted from Sam and then looked at Kayla, "I'll see you later. Okay?" I said, not wanting to say bye.

"Deal. I'll see you then." She smiled, hugging me tightly.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Troy, saying bye to Sam. "It was great seeing you again, man." Troy said, giving him a man hug.

"You too, Troy. Watch out for our Gabi here. She's a little trouble-maker."

"Of course." He smiled, "Have a good flight."

"We will. And we'll call you when we arrive back home." Sam said.

I smiled at Kayla one last time, "See you."

She smiled and nodded, then grabbed Sam, "See ya Troy. You be nice to our Gabi."

"I will." He smiled.

. . . . . . .

_I honestly wrote that with ease which is amazing and I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I loved writing this chapter. It was very sweet, in my opinion. _

_Shout-outs: _

_MissCiya: Actually, that chapter, I didn't mind writing. But I guess if that what it seems like, then fine. Anyways, thanks for reviewing. _

_HI-7-Obsession: Well I'm glad you liked the previous story. That was definitely a fun one to write and I hope you continue to enjoy this one. Thanks so much for reviewing! _

_iHeartChannyZanessaCailey: I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing! _

_I'mAMusicGirl: First off, love your sn. Hehe. I'm glad you loved it, hahaha. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zanessastories1225788: It's okay. They don't have to go through. Whether or not they do, it's okay. It's fine! And why are you reading my other weird conversations? Weirdo. Just kidding…kind of. And yes, sleep is amazing. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_Hollywoodbabe818: Hahahaha. Well I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: Well, usually I do. Unless I'm…like upset or something. I don't get sleep either. It's like you said, you stay awake all night and then wake up early in the morning for weekdays but then you can go to sleep really early on like a weekend and then wake up super easily, or sleep in late. It's annoying! And thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it…because I thought it was decent. I thought this one was a lot better. Hopefully, you agree! __ Thanks for reviewing! _


	13. And The Drama Begins

_Hey guys, I'm extremely sorry for not being able to update at all for about a month or two but I've been so up to my knees and have been an extremely hard time holding myself together. I've been just really depressed for the last seven months overall and haven't really been able to get out of this rut. So, I hope some of you can understand, and for those of you who keep nagging me about not being dedicated to my writing can go shove it up your behind because I am. I don't think the majority of you realize what I'm going through. So, do everyone a favor, and stop making assumptions about anything. It's a bad habit to get into. For those who understand, thank you so very much and I'll try to keep up with writing!_

_Okay…so it's now summer though and I can continue to keep writing. Again, I apologize for not being able to write in so long. _

I woke up Monday morning, ready for school. Sure, I missed Kayla and Sam, a bunch because well…they're my friends, but I know for sure that I will be seeing them again later on in my future. Today, I had to focus on everything else and that included Troy and Luke.

I finished up putting on a light amount of makeup and then headed down the stairs to find a plate full of hot, delicious pancakes on the table, which was getting pulled apart by Troy. He put about four pancakes on his plate and then drowned them with syrup and then cut off a big chunk and shoved it in his mouth.

"Ahem…" I cleared my throat and he looked up at me, almost like an innocent, naïve child getting caught in the cookie jar, except syrup was dripping down his chin.

He gave me a goofy smile, "Goo mornin'." He said, finally swallowing the humungous bite, "Good morning." He said again, this time, clearly.

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Syrup Face." I giggled, grabbing a napkin out of the holder and handing it to him.

"I think it's hot." Troy said, "Don't you? It makes my face look…"

"Sticky?"

"No…like…"

"Nasty? Browner? Stringy?"

"Whatever, you love it, but you're just hiding it because it's nasty, but hot at the same time." He winked at me and I just rolled my eyes.

"Right and I'm the tooth fairy."

"You never know! Maybe you are and you don't know that you are because you go to sleep and then sleep walk and turn into a fairy and steal peoples' teeth while putting money under their pillow…"

"…I don't even know why I like you…" I roll my eyes and grabbed the seat next to him and sat next to him.

Troy leaned into me and grabbed the back of my neck and gave me a soft kiss. He smiled, then leaned his forehead against mine, "What about now?"

"I remember now…"

"Good." He gave me another kiss again.

"Ahem.."

We looked to the entrance of the kitchen and we saw Troy's parents, both arms crossed, looking at us with a smirk on both their faces. "Get a room…" Jack laughed.

"Y'know, as kids, we should be able to have privacy!" Troy threw right back.

I ignored my boyfriend's comment and just sat down, knowing that it probably wasn't a good idea to get on Troy's parents bad side now.

I sat down next to Troy and grabbed myself a few pancakes and then put a little bit of syrup on them. I looked up at Troy who put an arm around me and then began eating again. "Right Troy, well when you get your own house then you can definitely do that. Privacy comes with…well limits and your mom and I, well we don't want to walk into every single room watching our son making out with his girlfriend, who is also living under our roof." Jack chuckled.

I looked at Troy and noticed that he was scoffing like what Jack had just said wasn't really much of a deal because he does that all the time. "Troy, just eat your flippin' flap jacks and shut your mouth." I laughed.

Troy looked at me bewildered and I couldn't help but giggle a little bit. "Did my girlfriend actually cuss a little bit?"

"Pardon _moi_ Troy Bolton, but I don't believe the word _flippin' _is a cuss word." I laughed.

"It can be considered one in the right context, right Dad?"

Jack chuckled a little bit as he poured his coffee into his mug. "Um, no I don't think so Troy. I mean, it doesn't sound very proper coming out of anybody's mouth but it isn't really a cuss word. Kind of like…hell. It's not very proper but it's still not a bad word."

"Oh sure! Take _her_ side." Troy laughed.

Jack rolled his eyes while walking over to his wife and wrapping an arm around her as she read the newspaper.

"Well are you ready to go?" Troy asked.

I nodded, as I put the rest of my pancakes into the trashcan and then began rinsing out my dish. "Oh Gabi, it's okay! I got it. You just get your body into Troy's car and I'll clean it up. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, are...you sure?"

"Of course I am! Now get!" she laughed, as she took her newspaper shooing me with it.

I nodded and went over to the door to grab my bag and then looked over at Troy who smiled at me.

I grabbed his hand and then we were on our way out. "Hey Troy!"

I looked over and smiled. It was Zak. He walked over and chuckled, while rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey um, would you mind if I could uh…get a ride from you guys for the rest of the year? I know it's a lot to ask and I know you don't _love_ me Troy but…well my mom had to sell my car for some personal reasons and I kind of…need a ride."

Troy laughed, "Of course you can Zak. You're always welcome with us."

I nodded, "I would have hoped you would know that already, Zak."

Zak shrugged and gave a weak laugh, "Well I don't want to like…intrude on your guys' time together and I don't want-well I just don't want to pry. I could definitely help pay for gas and-"

"Woah there!" Troy laughed, "It's all good! Don't worry about it, Zak. It's just a ride to and from school. It's not like I don't do that every day."

Zak rubbed the back of his neck, "You know what? Forget it guys. I think I'm just going to walk to school." He hitched his bag up on his shoulder and started walking off.

I looked at Troy, giving him a concerned look. "Hey Troy, would it be okay if I walked to school too?" I asked, and he gave a small nod and smile to show he understood.

I smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "Thanks Troy."

"No problem Gabs. Just make sure he's okay. He's kind of worrying me."

I nodded and gave him a quick hug and then ran after Zak. "Zak! ZAK!"

Zak kept walking as if he didn't hear me. I ran faster to catch up with him and I finally managed to catch up with him. "Zak, hey…"

He just nodded in response. I sighed, getting impatient. What was up with him? "Zak, hey, c'mon. You know you are welcome with us whenever. What's up with you?"

He shrugged.

I was starting to get really aggravated with him. What was going on with Zak? Zak was supposed to be the happy one, the optimistic one who made sure that I was the one not avoiding people. so obviously, there was something that happened that was bothering him. "Zak." I stopped, but he continued to walk.

"Zachary Greene!" I growled.

He waved me away and kept walking. Was he seriously ignoring me? I sighed. "Zak…" I whispered.

I waited there, hoping he would feel bad enough to turn around and stop and give me that 'Zak' look. The look that showed he cared, the look that gave me the recognition that he was always so sincere.

I looked over at a bench and went to go and sit down.

I sighed. What was wrong with that boy? I've never seen him this upset about anything. Not only was he upset but he wasn't telling anybody what was going on. I couldn't get him to open up. So, I haven't tried as hard as I should have but guys are always hard to open up.

_HONK HONK_

I looked up and saw a familiar face. "Hey Gabs, what's up with you?"

I gave a weak smile in response, "Hey Luke."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "You do know that school starts in like…five minutes right?" he said, completely confused, "It's not like you to get to school late. Or…even five minutes early. What's up?"

I shrugged, "Drama?" I gave a weak laugh.

Luke pulled over to the side and then locked up his car and sat down next to me on the bench. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head, "No not really…"

Luke nodded in response and we both sat there in silence for a few seconds. "Well do you want me to give you a ride to school?"

"Uh sure. Don't want to be late."

…..

I walked into homeroom with Luke as Troy gave me a curious look. I shrugged and mouthed to him that I'd tell him about it later.

I looked over at Zak and he was doodling on a piece of paper and he wouldn't even look up at me. I sat down in my seat and Luke did the same. "Hey, what's going on?" Taylor asked.

I shrugged in replied. That seemed to be the best way to reply for everyone today.

"Gabs, first of all, Troy comes to school without you telling me that you're walking to school with Zak because something seemed up. Then Zak shows up by himself. Then after that…you show up with Luke. And on top of that, Zak still isn't talking to anybody."

I wasn't sure what to say. I wasn't even sure what to do about any of this. "I don't know Tay. I'm just worried about Zak." I whispered.

"Do you know what's up with him?"

"No! I couldn't even find out what was up with him. All he did was ignore me and then he just kept walking!"

"Y'know Gabs, Tay…" Zak turned around with a harsh look, "I can hear you still and guess what? What's going on with my life has nothing do with any of you and it doesn't give you the right to talk about it right behind my back! LITERALLY!"

I stared at Zak. He was breathing hard and gave me the coldest look I've ever seen.

What's going on?

_Well I'm sorry that my chapters continue to keep being short, but I promise that they will start growing in length as soon as my writing starts getting back to normal. I apologize for not updating in so long…again. _

_Shout-outs:_

_Clembo29: Glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Santeelove: Well definitely don't worry about reviewing. I've been slacking off myself and I guess in a way, I don't deserve my reviews because I haven't been as committed to my writing anymore. But I promise to start doing that again. Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed it and yes, there's a little bit more drama starting so hopefully I can get into it and have fun writing it. _

_iheartChannyZanessaCailey: Aw well thanks so much! That means a lot to me and I'm glad you liked it! _

_Zac is my life: Awww! Well thanks so much! I'm so so so so so so sorry that I haven't updated in like…eternity but I have a lot going on in my life so I've kind of lost inspiration, but I finally got back into it. I'm still a little slow but I'll get there. And hey you play volleyball? COOL! I used to play volleyball but then totally lost interest because I started high school and had…other things I needed to commit to. But I bet those are long days. But at least its summer now! Thanks for being so supportive! _

_I'mAMusicGirl: It's a screen name and I personally love music so I love your sn. Hahaha. I'm glad you liked the chapter and thank you so very much for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Thanks, glad you liked it! _

_Telitubbiees: Um…thanks? _

_Pumpkinking5: Thanks so much for reviewing like you always do and being such a great sport about my reviewing. It means a lot to me that you say thanks for updating because it shows to me that there are still people enjoying my writing! _

_Hollywoodbabe818: Well I'm so glad that I can do that for you. I know life can get tough at times and it means the world to me that I can help you 'escape' from that. Thanks so much for reading my story and reviewing and I hope whatever is happening with you, gets better! _

_Crazy4BIEBER17MrsJustinBieber: I'm glad you liked it and thanks so much for being so patient! _

_I know guys that I'm totally and completely slacking off and I feel sooo horrible about it all and I know that doesn't really sound sincere but it is true. I'm just starting to lose my focus and stuff and I…well hopefully I'll start getting better and getting back in the zone! _


	14. Jealousy and Independence

_Yo to the peoples! I'm so glad that I managed to get a chapter up and I decided to be nice to you guys and see if I can TRY and update everyday for now on. Thanks to all of you who did review and acted patiently for my updates! It means a lot and I hope my writing continues to improve hahaha. _

The rest of homeroom managed to be completely silent. Why? Well Zak, Tay, and I usually feed the loud level in the classroom because we never stop talking. Yes, Troy and Chad normally talk with their big mouths and all but I guess they could feel what Tay and I were feeling. Tension.

I looked over at Troy who was silently doodling on his paper just like Zak was. The only difference was his body language and the facial expression that was written all over his face. Zak was completely hunched over and he looked like he either wanted to shoot everyone in the room or just himself. Troy was only hunched over a little bit and he had that goofy smile that said he had no idea what he was doing.

Troy looked up and smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back, even if I was worried about Zak. I watched as Troy pulled out his phone and he pointed it out. I nodded in response and grabbed out my phone as well. (**Bold=Gabi; ****Bold/Underlined=Troy) **_A.N: I refuse to use_ _text ling this time around. Hah. I personally don't use text lingo and I'm not going to start now when I'm typing a story…_

**What happened this morning? **

**Im not sure…**

**Wadya mean youre not sure**

**I tried to talk to him and all he did was keep walking away from me like…well he was angry with ME**

**Zak could never be angry with you**

**Well now im not so sure about that…what if he is? **

**Think about it Gabs…would he really be angry with you the next day, when you didn't do anything? **

**Well I don't know how to read boys Troy! I don't know whether or not he's angry with me or he's angry at the world or…if it's seriously something personal**

**Well by the looks of his little outburst I think its something personal…**

**So he's not mad at me? **

**I don't think he is…**

**Well will he ever want to talk about it? **

**He will when he's ready. Just don't pry and let him come to you**

**But what if that takes forever? **

**It won't. He's just…stubborn. And he's trying to act like he can do all of this on his own. But he'll realize that he needs all of us to get through…whatever is bothering him**

**I'm just worried about him Troy…**

**Of course you are. Well just wait. He'll talk about it when he's ready. Don't do something stupid. **

**Like? **

**Going to his mom and asking him about it**

**That's not a bad idea…**

**Gabi…**

**KIDDING! I wouldn't really do that. Unless I have to wait for months on end and he doesn't change his attitude…**

**Gabi, really. It's that whole trust thing. You know? When he's ready, he'll tell you himself and well if you go and break that trust then he'll…well he probably wont forgive you. **

**Yeah, yeah. I know. Hey..when did I get such a smart boyfriend, huh? **

**The day I asked you out! :P**

**Oh really? Well I recall you being kind of a….well you weren't brightest crayon in the box when you asked me out. **

**Well either way, you've always had a smart boyfriend. You just never bring him out. **

**Even when I make sure you do your own homework? **

**Even then. **

**Riiight. Well then I guess I'll have to make sure I bring that out again…**

RIIIIIING RIIIIING

I looked up from my phone and noticed that Taylor was shaking her head at me. I blushed and then looked down at my phone and noticed that Troy had sent me one last text.

**Good luck with that. **

I rolled my eyes as I put my phone back in my bag and then I quickly grabbed it as Troy waited for me near the door. "So you think he'll be ready soon?" I whispered quickly as I watched Zak roll his eyes as he walked through the door.

"I hope."

XOXOXOXOXOX

I walked to the lunch table and saw all the usual faces, including Luke. All except one, Zak. I looked around and Taylor just shrugged. "He told us that he might be coming back. He said he had to do something and he'd be back if he could be." Taylor explained, while poking her food with her fork.

"Oh…okay."

I sat down and Troy handed me an apple. I stared at it like Troy had just given me a piece of cardboard to eat. "No thanks." I said, pushing it back towards Troy.

"Gabi, you need to eat. Don't worry about Zak now." Luke picked up the apple up and gave it back to me.

"Yeah…what he said." Troy muttered, rolling his eyes.

I laughed silently to myself and grabbed Troy's arm so he knew that I wasn't trying to flirt back with Luke as I said, "Thanks Luke, but no thanks. I don't really—I'm just not really hungry. I'll eat later or something."

I got up and looked around. "I think I'm gonna go outside to get some fresh air."

Troy looked at me with concern and I just gave him a crook smile for some reassurance. "I'll see you guys later."

I went outside and found a tree to sit underneath. See, the problem was I didn't get it. I couldn't bare seeing Zak as upset as he was. He was acting like the world had ended and he wouldn't even talk about it. We did promise each other that whatever happened with each other we'd tell the other one. He made me promise that if I was upset in any sort of way, I would go and talk to him no matter how big of a problem it was. So, does that mean it doesn't apply the other way around?

"What did I do wrong?" I muttered to myself.

"Nothing…"

I looked up, my eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Hey, sorry. I followed you and uh was wondering if you wanted any company…"

"No thanks Luke. I mean, it's a nice thought and all, but I kind of just want to be alone with my thoughts."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. But we'll talk later okay?" I said and Luke just nodded.

He stuck his hand in his pocket. "Oh okay…"

"Oh, yknow what Luke? I…-"

"Yeah?"

"I could definitely use the company."

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your uh…'Gabi time'." He chuckled nervously.

"No it's no problem." I said, moving over so he had room to sit next to me.

Luke gave me a small smile, then sat down next to me and relaxed a little bit. "So that thing with Zak, it's really bothering you?"

"Yeah…"

"Well I'm sure he'll come around."

"Well I'm sure he will too, but I just wish he would just felt comfortable doing that when it happened. I mean, I hate seeing guys sad, cuz…well you _guys _are the ones comforting us lonely girls." I gave a light laugh.

"Well that is true, but guys don't really like talking about stuff like that."

"Yeah I get that. It's just, Zak and I are really close. I just wish he trusted me to tell me what's going on."

"I get it." Luke said, "But hey, he'll come around."

"Yeah, that's what Troy said."

"What did I say?"

I looked up to see Troy, who didn't look very happy. "Hey Troy. You wanna join?"

Troy looked at Luke and then back at me, "I thought you said that you wanted some alone time…"

"I did, but I felt bad because Luke came all the way out here to come talk to me and I didn't want him to think that it wasn't just for nothing. But you can join us Troy."

"No thanks." Troy grumbled as he walked away.

I watched Troy walk away and then I noticed that Zak was coming towards the school entrance. "I hate this." I muttered.

"Hate what?"

"Troy's mad at me now and Zak won't talk to me!" I said, a little too loudly.

"Well I'm here for you." Luke insisted.

"Thanks Luke, but…I kind of…well Zak has been pretty much my best friend throughout this whole little vacation of mine and I feel really comfortable talking to him. I mean, no offense to you or anything, but I just would rather be talking to Zak. And Troy…well he's my boyfriend and I should be telling him this stuff and not you…" I sighed, "I don't mean to hurt your feelings or anything Luke it's just I don't feel quite comfortable telling you these things when I barely really know you."

"I understand, Gabs." Luke said, "But you _can_ get to know me. I'm willing to be an open book for you because well…you are pretty much my only friend here. I can see Troy pretty much hates me and Zak only puts up with me because you do. I'll tell you whatever you want. I promise."

"Thanks Luke, but maybe some other time?" I said, getting back up on my feet, "The bells about to ring and…well we need to get back inside." I said, holding out my hand.

"Oh, yeah, right." Luke nodded, taking my hand as I tried to pull him up.

XOXOXOXOXO

"I don't know Kayla, he just won't talk to me!" I yelled into the phone frustrated.

"Well maybe he wants his own time to think about it before he tells anybody. I mean, that makes sense, I think. Maybe he's too afraid to tell you because you'll think of him differently. Guys like…well you know, to be seen as strong and independent."

"Are you sure? I mean he told me he was willing to tell me whatever Kay. I don't get it. It's like I didn't exist today Kay."

"I'm sure he just wants some alone time to cool off Gabi. Don't be so overly stressed about it." Kayla explained.

"But what about Troy? He didn't look too happy about Luke. I mean, I told him he could join, and I totally understand why he's not exactly happy about it, but don't you think he overreacted?

"Well Gabi, I hate to say this, but I think I understand Troy's side. Luke was definitely hitting on you and you kind of _encouraged _it. I know you didn't mean to, but still."

"But Kay…I told him I didn't want to be talked to and-"

"But you still let him sit down and talk to you."

"I felt bad!"

"So?"

"Ughhh…okay so you have a point."

"Exactly. So, I guess it's your turn to apologize to Troy. And next time around, let Zak have his space. He'll come to you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about the Troy thing. But what if Zak doesn't?"

"Then…maybe you can meddle in. But wait for a week or two."

"Alright…"

"Yeah. Oh and Sam says hi. We gotta go and study for a big test that's this Friday so I'll talk to you later okay?"

"Mkay. Bye Kay."

"Bye Gabs."

I guess it's better to get the drama out of the way now than to have more at the end of the year.

_Well I hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter. I feel as if that chapter was written a lot better than the one before. Thanks to all who reviewed! _

_Shout-outs: _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Thanks for reviewing. _

_Pumpkinking5: Yeah, Zak is. I guess we'll all have to find out what's going on in his mind later, right? I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reviewing, as always! _

_Crazy4BIEBER17MrsJustinBieber: Yeah…I noticed. And I guess I'll just have to wait for it to get better but then again, I don't know if it will actually go away, but oh well. That's okay. Thanks for reviewing! _

_x-TammieBaybii-x: Well hey stranger. I'm on most of the time, but you're never on when I am. Which is odd. And I don't know what Zak is dealing with. I guess we'll have to find out together when he says what's going on with him. Oh well! And um thanks. I guess I'm doing better. Talk to you later and thanks for reviewing! _


	15. She Has Graced Us With Her Smile

I could barely wake up the next morning. I couldn't stand the fact that Troy and Zak were angry with me. I mean, I didn't want them to be. I didn't mean for them to be, at least. My best friends were angry with me. So, yes I had Taylor and a few other people from school but they never came close to Zak. Zak was there for me during the hardest times ever but he wasn't talking to me during well…what seemed to be his hardest time ever.

To be honest, I didn't want to even get up and face the world without Zak. Without Troy. I didn't like being independent. How could guys do that? How _do _guys do that? It's hard. It's like falling without a parachute and you know you are going to fall on concrete. It's scary to get up alone it the world. It's scary to walk with your head held high when you don't want to anymore.

I slowly walked down the stairs. I didn't feel like trying to look good today. I slapped on some mascara and some sweats after I got out of the shower and I was ready to go. I looked at Troy and he was eating his cereal. He looked up and rolled his eyes at me. The sad part was I couldn't blame this on him. This was all because of me. "Hey Gabi, what would you like for breakfast?" Lucille greeted me with a very enthusiastic smile.

"Um…" I thought for a moment, "I don't think I want anything for breakfast." I smiled.

"Oh c'mon Gabi," she insisted, "Breakfast is very important. You should eat!"

"I'm not very hungry." I said, "I feel like if I eat anything, I'll want throw it all up." I shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Well then maybe you should stay home." Lucille suggested.

"No, no, it's okay." I said quickly, "I don't feel sick. I just don't want to eat because my stomach doesn't really feel like giving into any food." I explained.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I said, "I'll see you later." I said, looking at the entrance, excited to leave the house.

"Aren't you going to wait for Troy?" she asked, smiling at me and then at Troy who was looking at me with these inquisitive eyes.

"Um, I think I'll walk. It's nice out, right?"

"Well yes, but it's kind of a far walk."

"It's okay I think I'll enjoy it. Maybe I'll get hungry and then eat something when I get to school."

"It's early though too Gabi, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks Lucille." I gave a reassuring smile.

"Alright, well have a good day hun. If you feel sick, please call Jack or me and we'll come pick you up." Lucille said.

I nodded and smiled and then turned around to leave.

I _didn't _feel those penetrating eyes staring at me as I left the door.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I looked around the neighborhood and took a deep breath inward. "I can do this." I said, "I can do this."

I put on a fake smile and then suddenly frowned. "Who am I kidding? I can't do this." I rolled my eyes at myself.

What I didn't notice, was Zak was just leaving his house as well. I turned to look at him and then looked the other way and took another deep breath. "No…I can't do this." I muttered underneath my breath.

I could feel Zak staring straight towards me and I wanted to say something, but my mouth wouldn't open. I wanted to say something, but didn't he say that I should mind my own business? I didn't want to push Zak and if I did, he'd be even angrier with me and that was the last thing I wanted. Suddenly, the garage door opened and I turned around and saw Troy. Troy was staring at me.

I sighed, knowing I should probably be getting out of his way. I began walking out of the driveway and started heading towards school. The sad part? I was right in between the two boys that I loved to death and all there was to say was…nothing.

I could feel these tears wanting to escape from my eye as I continued to walk slowly out from cul-de-sac. I couldn't help it. It broke my heart to know both of them were mad at me and it was even worse because Zak was upset too. "Ugh…I hate this." I grumbled.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

I got to homeroom and wanted to just go straight back to bed. I didn't want to be here and I didn't want to face anybody. I wanted to be back in New York to be honest. I wanted to be in my nice comfy bed there and go to sleep to all the sounds of the cars and people down in the city. "Hey Gabs, you okay."

I stared at Taylor, whose eyes were filled with concern. "Nothing Tay. I'm just a little sleepy." I shrugged.

"Just a little?" Taylor said, sitting down next to me, "I know you better than you think Gabi. What's up?"

"The sky."

"Gabi."

"Tay.'

"Please Gabi, what's wrong? You look like somebody told you they murdered your mom."

"Great analogy Tay." I said sarcastically, putting my head in my arms that were lying on my desk.

"Well you do sweetie. Now c'mon, talk to me." Taylor insisted.

"I don't really feel like talking." I admitted.

"Then at lunch?" she smiled at me.

"I don't think I'll be there at lunch." I shrugged.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I think I need to go for a walk and lunch is the only time I can do that." I explained.

"Well…call me if you need me, okay Gabi?"

I nodded and then finally looked up at Mrs. Darbus and I couldn't help but notice that Zak was looking at me from the corner of his eyes. _What the heck? _

XOXOXOXOXOXO

I sighed, looking around the park. I kept my word to Taylor. I didn't want to talk to anybody and I did want to go for a walk. It was peaceful and going to the park meant you wouldn't be seeing anybody from school. Nobody ever went to the park for the lunch.

I got out my cell and realized I couldn't talk to anybody. It sucked. I couldn't talk to Sam quite yet. They were only 2 hours ahead and that meant it would be around 2 for them which meant they weren't out of school yet. This also meant, by the time I could get call them, lunch would be over. "Man life sucks." I sighed.

"Yeah, it does."

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. Who would be-

I looked up and saw Zak smiling at me and I couldn't even think. I didn't even smile back. I just stared at him with confusion in my eyes. "Are you going to keep me staring at me or are you going to say anything?"

"Why are you here?" I said, almost in a bitter tone. _Crap. I finally get him to talk to me and I'm using a harsh tone. What the heck Gabi? _

"I thought you'd be here."

I looked down at the ground. Why did he want to talk to me? He was screaming at me the other day and pretty much blew up on me in class. "Gabi…" he said, making me look at him.

"Can I join you?"

I looked up, knowing I was beneath my favorite tree in the park. "Uh…sure." I said, moving over a little bit to make room for Zak.

"It's nice out." He said, smiling, looking around the park.

I brought my knees up to my chest and just nodded, as I hugged my knees tightly. I looked to the other side and rested my head on my left knee.

"Why are you here?" Zak asked.

"I could ask you the same question." I mumbled.

"You already did."

"But you gave me a crappy answer." I mumbled again. That was really a bad habit to get into.

"Well so did you." Zak chuckled.

I didn't answer. I honestly didn't really want to talk to anybody right now anyways. What did he want me to say? If I asked him what was wrong, he'd yell at me and if I tried to say anything other than that, I would feel stupid. I didn't like feeling stupid. Wait—does anybody?

"So why are you really here Gabi?"

Silence.

"Gabi?"

More silence.

"Gabs?"

Adding more silence…

"Gabi, c'mon? What's wrong?"

I didn't want to answer that one at all. If he wouldn't tell me what was wrong, then I didn't feel like I could tell him what was wrong with me. It's that whole trust thing. You tell me something and I'll tell you something, and that wasn't happening between Zak and I, so I didn't want to say anything in response.

"Gabi, please? I didn't like seeing you this morning, staring at nothing. It was like your eyes were glazed back and you put this shield on. I didn't like it. I _don't _like it. You're supposed to be the happy one and I hate that you're upset and you're not telling me what's wrong."

I scoffed in reply. Hypocrite.

"Gabi."

I didn't want to talk, didn't he get that?

"Gabriella."

Nope, I still didn't want to talk.

"Gabriella Montez."

Right, because using my longer name was going to make me want to talk.

"Gabi, stop playing the silent game. I already know that I can't play with you. It's not fair." He chuckled, looking at me like he was hoping I'd laugh.

"Okay, not funny…" he muttered, "Do you want me to get Troy?"

I could feel my heart breaking a little bit more.

"Okay…I will."

"Don't." I replied.

"A WORD!" he screamed, which caused everyone to stare at us, amused, "SHE SAID SOMETHING! SOMEBODY CALL THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND! SHE SAID SOMETHING!" he got up, dancing like a total idiot.

I couldn't help it, I cracked a smile. Hey, we can't always be stubborn.

"AND A SMILE! OH MY GOODNESS! SHE SMILED! SHE GRACED US WITH HER SMILE!"

I giggled that time. Zak was always good at that.

"AND A LAUGH!"

"Shut up, Zak." I rolled my eyes, getting up and pulling him down to sit down before he made a complete fool of himself, or whacked somebody with his flailing arms.

"So you're gonna talk now?"

"Are you going to keep making a fool of yourself?"

"I will until you start talking."

"Fine. I'll talk."

"So what's wrong?"

This was going to be a long lunch.

_Well that chapter was sweet…and kind of odd. I don't know. Anyways, sorry for the long wait. I had a friend over for like four days and then I wanted a break from stuff and here we are again. I hope you enjoyed it and please review. _

_Shout-out(s): _

_Zac is my life(x2): hahaha It's okay. I don't expect everyone to review, and that includes you. You do not have to review every chapter, but knowing you, you're probably going to argue and say you will. Right? Or am I just being stupid? And well that's awesome that you love volleyball. It's a fun sport. Like I said, I used to love it. I mean, I do still, I just don't have time. I am indeed one of those geeks who takes all honors/AP classes and then some. Along with music stuff and writing for fun/to vent, I get lost along all of it. Y'know? Okay, maybe you don't. Hahaha. And I'm glad you enjoyed both chapter, as always, thanks for both reviews! _

_Crazy4BIEBER17MrsJustinBieber: Quick question, why are all your SN's so long? Hahaha, I have to switch windows to make sure I got it right. Jeez, I'm stupid. Okay, aside from that, I'm glad you enjoyed the update. And Zak worries me too. Don't you hate it when guys are upset? (it breaks my heart when guys are sad…) Thanks for reviewing! _

_Pumpkinking5: As always, you are very welcome! And well…I hate spoiling it so early in the story, but I guess we'll have to find out together, either in the next chapter or the one after that. Alright? Hahaha okay! Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Thanks for reviewing! _

_Enjoy guys and please, please review! It makes the world go round if you review! _


	16. Secrets Eat People Alive

Chapter 16-Secrets Eat People Alive (I realized I stopped doing these…hahaha.)

Quick Author's Note: I do not own HSM 1, 2, or 3 nor do I own any of the song rights to _Wizard of Oz_.

This was going to be a long lunch…

"So seriously Gabi, what's wrong?"

I couldn't really figure out how to word this. I was mad and upset and sad and just overall flustered. What was I supposed to do? Tell him I was upset because everyone was mad at me? I don't think so.

So I guess I added more silence to the previous silence…

"Gabs, please talk to me. I hated seeing you all closed up like that this morning. It kind…I felt that pang in my chest. You know how people say that stuff in books? Well I finally felt it. It was like your eyes were glass and nobody could actually see what was going on in your pretty little head of yours. When I tried to read you, I couldn't get anything, all that happened was my own emotion shooting straight back at me and it kind of sucked…"

"Sorry?" I said, not really sure what to say to that.

"I'm sorry Gabi. I didn't mean to freak out at you yesterday."

I didn't reply to that.

"I really am Gabs. I couldn't stand seeing you upset today."

I didn't reply to that either.

"C'mon, I just got you to talk, don't go all silent on me again."

"I don't know Zak…I don't really want to talk." I said, looking down at the grass, picking at it.

"Well I do."

"Well I wanted to talk yesterday and you're like twenty four hours late on that one." I muttered.

"I know and I just didn't want to talk yesterday…" Zak said, "And I _know _that's no excuse but I just…can we talk now?"

"Like I said Zak, I don't want to talk."

"But-"

"And I know it's not the time to be stubborn but-"

"Gabriella, I want to talk. Can we talk? It's either that or you end up being all depressed again and I can't stand seeing you like that and then I get even more depressed and-"

"Fine we can talk, Zak. I just want to make sure it's not going to just be _me _doing the talking."

"I promise you won't."

"Well then okay…"

"Okay…well do you want me to start talking or do you want to start?"

"I was just upset because you and Troy weren't talking to me and we're really angry with me and I couldn't take it…" I said softly, not really wanting to admit it at all, but I had to, to get out what was wrong with Zak.

"I'm sorry…" he said, using the same volume I had used, "I was just upset yesterday and stuff and I just didn't know what to do about it and I didn't want to tell you because it's not the right time and-"

"Tell me what?"

"I don't want to tell you right now…"

"But-"

"There's gotta be a good time for this."

"Is there ever a really good time, Zak?"

"Well…no…but I want it to be the best time it can possibly be…" Zak said softly.

"Why can't you just tell me now?"

"Because it's something important…"

"Then if it's so important then you should have to tell me now."

"I'm sorry Gabi, I just don't want to tell you right now. But I will. I promise." He said, looking at me with a serious look.

"I don't-"

"No you don't see why…but I do. Please just understand this is something I can't just say casually. This would be like the president saying casually on live news that he murdered somebody. It doesn't work that way." He chuckled, trying to lighten up the conversation.

"You murdered somebody?" I joked.

"Gabi…" he gave me a serious look.

"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes, "But you know secrets eat people alive, right? I mean there are some people who can't stand keeping secrets and their conscious causes them to sleepwalk and talk in their sleep or lose sleep or they can't eat or-"

"Trust me Gabi. I already feel bad, but I feel like this is something I should tell you during a special time."

"Okay…"

I gave up. What was it that he was hiding from me that was so big that he actually needed a 'special' time to do so? I couldn't understand him. Actually, I don't understand the male species. They're a confusing bunch aren't they?

"Here…" Zak hopped up on his feet, "Class starts back up in ten minutes, we should probably start heading back." He grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

I nodded as I wiped the grass and dirt off of myself.

"Truce?"

"Truce…" I said, still upset that he wasn't going to tell me what was wrong. I told him what was wrong with me. Why can't he tell me?

And besides, how can I still not be upset when Troy's still angry with me?

XOXOXOXOXOXO

I closed my locker and sighed. Today was long and gruesome. Luke kept me company for most of it but I didn't really _want _company. I was tired, confused, and a little angry and the last thing I wanted to do was start yelling at him because of my horrible mood. I hate taking out my anger on somebody who doesn't deserve it and was only trying to help.

"Hey Gabi!" I turned to see Zak giving me a huge smile.

I wasn't sure whether or not to smile back. I was still a little…touchy on the subject of him not telling me what was going on in his life. So, I just waved and gave a slight smile.

"Do you want to walk home with me?"

"Do I have a choice."

"Nope!" he winked at me and held out his arm for me to grab, "Shall we?"

"We shall." I said, grabbing his arm.

"WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ!" he started dragging me as he was screaming this down the hall and skipping.

"Zak!" I shouted, trying to get his attention, by letting go of his arm and waving my arms in front of him frantically.

"We're off to see the wizard the wonderful Wizard of Oz! We hear he is a whiz of a wiz if ever a wiz there was! If ever, oh ever a wiz there was there was the Wizard of Oz is one because, because, because, because, because, because, because of the wonderful things he does! We're off to see the wizard the wonderful Wizard of Oz!" he smiled, skipping me around.

"Zak!" I giggled, "Please stop."

"WE'RE-"

"ZAK! People are starting to stare!" I hissed.

"So?"

"You can sing another _Wizard of Oz_ song." I rolled my eyes, "Just please…not that one!"

"Okay fine…" he thought for a moment…"I….could wile away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers, consultin' with the rain. And my head I'd be scratchin', while my thoughts were busy hatchin'; If I only had a brain!" he wiggled his eyebrow at me, "I'd unravel every riddle. For any individ'le, in trouble or in pain." He smiled as he finished his line, "TAKE IT AWAY GABRIELLA MONTEZ!"

I giggled. Sadly yes, I did know the words. So I began to sing, "With the thoughts you'd be thinkin', you could be another Lincoln," I winked, "If you only had a brain," I thought and added a line of my own, "Which you don't."

"Hey now! Don't start changing words!" he took a deep breath and started singing again in a deep voice, "Oh, I could tell you why, the ocean's near the shore. I could think of things I never thunk before. And then I'd sit and think some more. I would not be just a nuffin', my head all full of stuffin'. My heart all full of pain. I would and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry; If I only had a brain!" he finished off.

I laughed so hard after he sung the very last note. "Wow, Zak. Where the heck did you learn all the lyrics to all of that?"

"My mom." He chuckled.

"Well too bad you don't have a brain…" I giggled.

"Hey, I was just singing the song." Zak said in a fake grouchy tone, "It doesn't mean it really applies." He said.

"I'm kidding…" I scoffed.

"I know."

"Right, well c'mon, scarecrow." I said, grabbing his arm again.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"See you Zak." I said, waving at him as I got to the front door.

"See you Gabs." He said, starting to open his door, "Wait Gabi!"

I stopped, before I entered the house, "Yeah?"

"Go talk to Troy. He was beating himself up all day."

I sighed, "What?"

"I heard from Chad that he kept telling himself he was crap today. I may not love the guy, but he's the closest thing to a brother to me, so go easy on him."

"He's mad at me…" I said, confused.

"Chad said that he was mad because you didn't eat at all today…" Zak said, "Did you eat at all?"

"Totally…" I lied.

"Gabi."

"Okay, so I didn't. I was with you at lunch and I didn't want to eat this morning 'cuz I felt like if I ate at all, I would have thrown it all up." I sighed, "Happy now?"

"Gabi, you need to eat. And talk to Troy."

"He wasn't talking to me, so I gave him his space. I didn't want to make him angrier…" I argued back.

"Well I think he's ready to talk to you."

As if right on cue, Troy was driving into the driveway at that very moment. I looked at Zak and he gave me the cue to go and talk to him.

I watched Troy as he got out of the car and he looked at me. I couldn't get myself to open my mouth. My mouth was glued shot. I couldn't even move. Then he rolled his eyes and walked straight past me and left me outside.

What the-

_Hm so drama here and there. Right? What's up with Troy and his mood swings again? Hmmm… Oh and what's Zak hiding? _

_Shout-out(s): _

_independentHSMFAN23: Well I thought I lost you as a reviewer. Hah! And well…nobody likes a trouble maker. I wonder what his real motive is. Thanks for reviewing! _

_iHeartChannyZanessaCailey: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: Hahahaha well that works I guess. Just make sure you don't feel obligated to review every chapter! And I like replying to my reviewers! I like to get down and personal! (; hahahaha. No, really I just like getting to know my reviewers and thanking them. It means a lot to me. And well you seem like a busy person! Geez! I can't even do all of that. I'm just music, writing, school, relax. I can't do more than that. Music takes most of my time and so does writing, but still. And I agree! Writing is a great way to vent! As always, thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Thanks for reviewing! _

_Pumpkinking5: Well I guess the truth wasn't really revealed was it? I'm waiting to hold it out and stuff and make it a little more…big because the secret is really really really big. But it will happen! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Crazy4BIEBER17MrsJustinBieber: I find it weird because it's hard to go back and forth. I can't spell Bieber ever. I always have to think, is it I before E or is it gonna break the rule and go BEIBER. I think Beiber looks better, but oh well. And I honestly don't remember how to do your last sn. I know it has a 1 and 2 and 5 and 7 and 8, I just don't know how many. Is it 125788? No…that doesn't look right. Oh well. And yeah… hahaha. Guys… anyways thanks for reviewing! _

_Yogaluva: Uh…thanks for reviewing? _


	17. A Night With Zak Part 1

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own High School Musical_

_HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! (to those who are from the U.S) _

_I apologize for the very late update! I promise that I'll try and get two up today! I had a friend over all week…hahaha_

Chapter 17-A Night With Zak Part 1

I sighed and looked at Zak, who was shrugging, "You waited…" he said, "and waiting gets you nowhere Gabs."

I sighed, getting impatient. I mean, what was I supposed to? I may have finally managed to start talking to Zak again, but I couldn't even get him to tell me anything that was bothering him. So, how on earth was I supposed to get Troy to talk to me when he was the most stubborn of the two?

"Yeah. I'll talk to you later." I said, defeated.

"Gabi-"

"No, Zak, I'll talk to you later." I said, "I'll get on and we'll talk on the computer, kay?"

"Yeah…" he said, sticking his hands in his pockets, "Just eat, okay?"

"I can't promise anything." I said, "Besides, you shouldn't eat when you're not hungry."

"You are hungry Gabi." He said in a stern voice.

"Well I don't feel hungry, Zak." I said, mocking him.

"Fine." He said, grabbing my wrist, quite harshly, I might add.

"Zak, what are you doing?"

"Feeding you."

"I told you, I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are, now stop being so stubborn."

"_You_ stop being stubborn."

Zak rolled his eyes, and began dragging me into the house. "What would you like?"

"Nothing."

"Gabi, you are eating that is final."

"Well you can go and shove that food up your little-"

"Zak!" Lucille said, as she walked down the stairs, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding Lucille," he paused, "But I was going to help Gabriella with her studying." He said, smiling at me.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, what he said." I mumbled.

"Oh, well you two have fun!" she said, turning into the kitchen, "Oh wait!"she turned around quickly, "Zak, sweetie, would you like to stay for dinner?"

Oh no! NO, NO, NO, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no-

"Of course Lucille! Why would I want to pass your delicious cooking skills?" Zak said, wrapping his arm tightly around my mid section. Seriously? What he going to do me? Hand feed me?

"Wonderful!" Lucille said, completely delighted, "Would you both like a little snack to start your studying?"

Zak smiled cheekily at me, "Actually we would love something!"

That boy was going to pay.

"What would you like?" Lucille said, looking around the cupboards and the counter.

"Anything you're willing to let us have!" Zak said. Why did he have to such a little charmer?

Lucille smiled sweetly at Zak. Sadly, Zak had always been the sweetest little boy ever and Lucille had loved him like her second son, so there was no possible way she wasn't going to give us a big ole' plate of food. She was going to give us anything she could possibly find that looked remotely edible and knowing Zak, he was going to want to be the little kiss-up he was and eat it all so he didn't make Lucille feel bad.

I watched as Lucille began to grab a huge platter and started piling a few carrots on it, celery, baby tomatoes, cheese, crackers, some ranch, tortilla chips, salsa, and a few other things that made me want to whack Zak across the face. "Here you are!" she smiled, "Don't forget to offer some to Troy. He seemed a little moody, so I'm sure food is what he needs."

"Yeah, go bring some up to him, Gabby. I'll go settle up in your room and start organizing all the stuff we need to study."

I glared at him. We all know that I, of all people, do not need help studying and I definitely do not need it from Zak. "Go on." He nudged me, as he handed me the platter.

I sighed, knowing that I wasn't going to be able to get out of this. "Fine." I glared at him and Zak just gave me a cheeky smile in return. That boy…

I managed to make it up the stairs without falling over and spilling everything on me. I rested the plate my leg and leaned it against the wall so it would stay upright as I knocked on Troy's door which had a bunch of blaring music on the other side.

"What?" a pissed off Troy hissed as he looked at me.

"Um, your mom wanted me to offer you some food…" I said, holding out the platter, looking like a complete fool.

Troy narrowed his eyes, as he looked down at the platter, scanning all the food. "Oh." Troy said. He grabbed a large handful of the crackers and cheese and then slammed the door in my face.

"And I wanted to make up with you." I whispered, as I almost dropped the platter.

"Well that's a start." Zak smiled at me, as he walked up the stairs and grabbed a stick of celery and dipped into the ranch, "But now we need to get you to start eating."

"I'm not hungry Zak." I said, "I just want to do my homework and go to sleep. I don't need your help with anything, so why don't you just go home and do the same so we don't have to start fighting again."

"Gabi, you're the one who's making this into a fight. Just eat a little bit." Zak said calmly, "I'm just trying to make sure you're being a good girl and _eating._" Zak said, grabbing a carrot and sticking it near my mouth.

I pressed my lips together tightly, making sure that he wasn't getting anything in my mouth. Okay...that sounded wrong. Let me rephrase that, he wasn't going to be getting _food_ in my mouth. I shook my head violently, "Stop Zak." I mumbled out of the side of my mouth.

"Gabi, c'mon. It's one measly carrot. You're not gonna die from it!"

"How do I know you didn't poison it!" I screamed, as I turned around and practically ran into the wall.

"Woah there!" Zak said, grabbing the platter from me before I dropped it, but sadly, he didn't catch me and I managed to fall my way down the stairs.

"Ow…" I muttered, rubbing my shoulders as I looked back at Zak who was giving me a weak smile, knowing that he was the reason I fell.

"What was that?" Troy's door opened and then looked at me and then looked at Zak.

"Oh…nothing." Zak said, looking sheepishly at me, "Your stupid-" he stopped himself and looked down at me, "She fell."

I sighed, knowing that he didn't want to say 'your girlfriend' to Troy, considering we weren't exactly on speaking terms. Actually, we were barely on 'looking at each other' terms. He was angry with me and I couldn't blame him. I mean, sure, I had invited Luke to sit down next to me, but I invited Troy too…but I guess he just took it the wrong way.

"How the-" Troy looked at me, confused.

Was there concern in his eyes?

* * *

_Okay, so this was the first part of this particular chapter. I had to cut this into two because I was beginning to get a little tired of writing this particular story today because it's really hot in my house and stuff. Anyways, I'm so sorry for making you guys wait for a week or two, but I had been with my friend for a whole week and I didn't want to write with her, because that's a little rude. _

_But I am going to try and write maybe two more chapters tonight. *cross your fingers*_

_Oh and if you guys are awesome, YOU ALL, should go and check out my fictionpress! The link is on my homepage! (:_

_Shout-out(s):_

_Zac is my life: Well I'm glad you like reviewing because I love your reviews! (: Anyways, I'm so very glad that you like the story, even though I've been kind of slacking off on my writing, but I had been busy for the last two weeks. I had a marching band thing two weeks ago and then I had my friend over...so egh. Hopefully inspiration will stike and I will want to write nonstop like I do for my fictionpress stories. And well busy isn't always bad, right? I mean, I'd rather be busy than not being busy because then I'm just at home being lazy. Then I feel all fat and boring. Egh. Anyways, hopefully chapter didn't disappoint you with this chapter as much as I disappointed myself...hahaha. And I'm glad you liked my little response to Yogaluva. Hahaha. I didnt really know what to say because her/his review was very...well impersonal. Speaking, of geting personal. hahah. Thanks for reviewing! _

_independentHSMFAN23: Hahaha well I'm glad to here that I haven't lost you as a reviewer! (: And well Zak is being confusing, but he definitely has a reason to be... I mean, he has a little secret, but then again, doesn't everybody? Hopefully, I'll include some really good hints for you guys to start guessing. And well Troy's always a pain. Maybe, he'll grow out of it. Hahaha. Thanks for reviewing! _

_yogaluva: Gabriella has a secret? Um, I didn't realize she had a secret. And she doesn't really need to call Troy because she lives with him...but she should talk to him. _

_pumpkinking5: Thank you for reviewing, as always. Anyways, I'll start adding some hints in the next few chapters for you guys to start guessing what's up with Zak. Hopefully I won't make you all very impatient! Again, thanks for reviewing! _

_santeelove: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! _

_aly: Hahaha male PMS-ing? I guess it's just their time of the month. Or as I call it, T.O.M visited! Hahaha. Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Thanks for reviewing! _

_Crazy4BIEBER17MrsJustinBieber: Hahaha, well sorry I forgot your old username. Anyways, yeah I'm not a huge fan of the 'Biebs' but that's probably why I don't really ever know how to spell his name. And NO that rule isn't true for anything. I figured that out this year in English. I just can't remember the dang word that broke that rule. Oh well. Anyways, hopefully this chapter was not a disappointment and thanks for 'reviewing'. hahaha sorry fanfiction was being a pain. _


	18. A Night With Zak Part 2

_Quick update, right? I remember I used to do this all the time. Hahaha, but I'm usually more inspired to write my stories for fictionpress which is why I haven't been able to write so well on the last chapter. Anyways, on to the chapter! _

Chapter 17-A Night With Zak Part 2

I slowly walked up the stairs, rubbing my behind and my shoulder still. Did I seriously have to fall down the stairs? All fifteen steps? I looked at Zak and he smirked. "Have a nice little trip?" he smiled at me.

"I didn't trip you dork!" I screamed back at him, "I fell!"

"Same difference." He shrugged.

"No it's not. If I tripped then I would have hit something."

"You did…" he stated.

"The wall, Zak; you can't trip over a wall!"

"You can if it's on the ground!" Zak stuck his tongue out.

"It's a _wall_." I rolled my eyes at his stupid reasoning, "You can't have a wall on the ground. If it was a wall on the ground, then it would be the floor!"

"Oh you and your logic." He scoffed, winking at me.

Zak Greene, you love to hate him and you hate to love him. It's one of them for everybody, and I honestly hate to love him. He was a such a doofus. No. He was a dork who had love to make life harder than it already was for me. He loved life and I couldn't ever understand how. There wasn't a negative bone in his body.

"I hate you."

"Oh no you don't." he said, "But I'll meet you inside for your studying."

I rolled my eyes at his stupidity. I didn't know what to do with him. He loved to meddle and not only that, but he loved to put me in the most awkward positions. "Fine…" I muttered and then I realized that Troy was still staring at me.

"Um," I thought for a moment, "Did you want any more food?" I said, grabbing the platter, praying that I wouldn't fall again.

Troy continued to stare at me, his eyes penetrating my weak stare. "No thanks." He said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" I said, avoiding his stare, "Just a small fall."

"How did you fall?"

Crap, I didn't think he was actually going to ask. What was I going to say? Zak was trying to feed me a carrot and I didn't want to eat so I fell? Riiiiiight. Then he'd be even angrier with me and I'd start getting this lecture about how going anorexic was a bad thing. It wasn't like I was going anorexic, I just wasn't hungry at all because I had been upset. I know I'm not fat…

"I was fighting with Zak and won…" I mumbled.

"What were you guys fighting about?"

"Oh, you know…" I said, looking at the ground, "The usual."

"You guys never fight. What were you guys fighting about?" he said, as I decided it was a _great _idea to look upat him. He was clenching his jaw and his knuckles were turning white.

"We were just teasing each other." I said, as I noticed that my door wasn't completely shut which meant Zak was listening. So if you do the math, that means that if I lie, Zak will nag me about it.

"About?"

"Food." I said, almost smiling to myself. Technically, I wasn't lying at all, I just wasn't telling him the complete truth and I think I could live with that. Troy didn't need to know and I didn't want him to feel bad about it. It wasn't really his fault. It was my own fault, but I just couldn't eat. I wasn't hungry…

"What about food?"

Of course he had to ask me…

"Just random stuff." I shrugged, "It was a stupid fight."

I heard a scoff coming from my bedroom door and I rolled my eyes. "Ignore that…" I mumbled, as I saw Zak opening up the door.

"You're such a liar." He scoffed as he came to me and rested his arm on my shoulder.

"Shut up Zak and go set up things!" I hissed, getting aggravated.

"You're still a liar." He rolled his eyes, "And I already did that."

"What?" Troy said, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Nothing." I whispered, pushing Zak into my room.

Why did he have to say that? "What-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, I was grabbed by the wrist and pulled out of my room. I looked at Zak and he was smirking and waving at me as he shut the door. Oh no! He was not going to lock me out of my own room! "What the-?"

I turned to see a very, well…okay I didn't know what kind of Troy, but he definitely wasn't happy. I wasn't sure if he was angry, upset, curious, concerned, or just going crazy. What was up with him? And why on earth did he decide that now was a great time for him to start talking to me again? "What do you want Troy?" I said quietly, still concentrating on the 'oh so wonderful floor.'

"What was Zak talking about?" Troy said in a stern voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" I said, trying to act like I had no clue about anything.

"Gabi…" he began, "What were you guys really fighting about?"

"Food." I said, "I'm not lying."

"Yeah, but what about food?" he said, getting a little impatient.

"He was mad at me." I stated simply, "It's no biggie."

"Why was he mad at you?"

"He overreacted." I shrugged. This was really becoming a habit of mine. Sighing, rolling my eyes, and shrugging…

"About?"

"Iwasn'teating…" I said quickly, looking down at the ground. Oh, yeah and that…

"What?"

"It doesn't matter…"

"Gabi," Troy said, finally getting me to look at him, "If Zak was worried then I'm definitely worried. Zak doesn't just worry about something random and unimportant."

"I wasn't eating…" I gave up. If I didn't tell him, Zak was going to say something about it and if Troy didn't hear it from he was going to be even more upset than he was now…

"What?" Troy's eyes grew black, "Gabi…why not?"

"I wasn't hungry." At least I wasn't lying that time…

"Gabi, that's not healthy! You need to be eating, even if you aren't hungry!"

"What so you'd rather me be throwing it all back up and go bulimic?"I said, getting annoyed.

"Gabi you know that's not true, but I'd rather you be eating than starving yourself." He said, "Please-"

"I'm not starving myself!" I screamed back.

"Please tell me this isn't because of me…"

"No, it's not."

"Gabi."

"Troy." I mocked.

"Gabi, I'd kill myself if I knew I was the cause of-"

"It's fine, Troy, I'm fine." I shrugged, "Maybe, we should just…" I paused, thinking about what I was going to say.

"We should just what?"

"Take a break."

"Wait, Gabi, what?"

"I said we should probably take a break." I said, "You know, just take a break from each other."

"Why?"

"I just think that school is starting to get to us and we should just stop and maybe make sure that there aren't anybody who catches our eyes…" I thought about that for a moment. Did that make sense?

"Is this about Luke, Gabi? Because if so, I'm willing to work that out!" Troy said quickly, his eyes beginning to become a very light gray.

"No Troy it's not about Luke, I just think we need to work things out separately. We've barely just started school and we're already fighting and I think it's best if we take some space. I mean, you know what they say?"

"No. I don't know what they say." Troy said in a tense voice.

"If you love someone, let them free, if they come back they were always yours, if they don't then they never were."

"I don't want-"

"I'm sorry Troy." I sighed, I know this sounded bad and a little immature, but I'm sure it's the right thing at the moment. They also say that you don't realize what you have until it's gone…and you don't know what you're missing until you've found it.

"Gabi, can't we talk about this?"

_I didn't realize we were talking_.

"Troy, I don't think we should talk to be honest." I sighed, again with the immaturity.

"Why not?" Troy raised an eyebrow, "Don't you want to fix this?"

"We can talk." I said, "Later, though."

I sighed, completely defeated as I walked into my room. I was done with boys for right now. Even if Troy was as amazing as he was. I didn't know what to do anymore and I didn't want to fight with him anymore. I just wanted to take a break from everything. If Troy wanted to work this out, he would have wanted to talk to me a long time ago.

I closed the door and leaned against the door and felt eyes on me. I opened my eyes slightly and noticed that Zak was gawking at me like I had just shot an old woman. "What?" I said, annoyed.

"What was that for?" he hissed, "Did you seriously just tell Troy that wanted to go on a break?"

"It's none of your business!" I screamed.

"It's all of my business!" he growled, "Why on earth would you do that? Troy is going to be all moody now and then you're going to get mood too and then since both of you are so stubborn then nobody's going to want to go and fix it!" Zak began pacing, "Sam and Kayla would totally agree with me!"

"Don't bring them into this! They have nothing to do with Troy and I!"

"It doesn't matter! If they agree then I know I'm right!"

"Whatever Zak, I don't want to talk about it!"

"All in due time Gabs, all in due time…"

_Okay, I'm sorry this one was so short. I'm so very tired because I have had no sleep in the last twenty seven and a half hours. I'm not kidding and I very bad when I'm on a lack of sleep. Thanks guys! _

_Oh and go check out my updates and announcements! One is very exciting! Oh and go check out my fictionpress! (I hate to say this, but I like fictionpress more…)_

_Shout-out(s):_

_XxBabiiGurlxX: I'm glad you liked it, thank for reviewing! _

_Pumpkinking5: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I hope I can start writing a lot better so it starts to ease in with all the secrets Zak is hiding and things. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_Crazy4BIEBERMrsJustinBieber: Well that's a good thing that you can review now. Anyways, ummm well trust me, you won't turn me into a 'belieber'. I strongly abhor all mainstream music and he's definitely one of them. And ummm okay? And no it's not bad that you skip to the shout-outs because I used to have them up at the top but I'm guessing some people found that really annoying so no it really doesn't matter when you read the shout outs. And hahaha thanks, I guess. It's not very exciting to be American. Actually, Americans are kind of lame. Hah and I hope you have fun in Oregon. Anyways, it doesn't really matter how much you write in your reviews because it still means a lot to me. I don't care if your review is one word or one thousand. Glad you liked it and thanks for reviewing! _


	19. Story Of My Life Through Song

_Hey guys, I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner! My mom ended up deleting my chapter on accident and I had to restart it. But I'm kind of losing my feel for the story, and feeling my characters are becoming bland, and I'm not quite sure how to spice it up. I have the plot planned out and everything but when it comes to writing, I suck. Does anybody have any ideas for me? Thanks! _

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own any part of High School Musical. I do NOT own Taylor Swift's music, all rights go to Big Machine and her! Song: Other Side of the Door by Taylor Swift_

Chapter 18-

I spent the rest of the night with Zak but he didn't actually get me to eat at all. I don't know what was wrong with me but I couldn't eat. It wasn't working, okay…nothing was working and I was starting to get a little annoyed with Zak's persistency. I was hoping he would understand, but instead he started giving me lectures about how I was being 'unhealthy'.

"You know…" Zak said, grabbing her bag, "You're going to start regretting what you said to Troy." He started.

I groaned at the fact that I knew he was right…and that he was starting to give me another lecture. I knew that if I even tried to defend myself, Zak was going to just throw it straight back in my face. "Yeah…well maybe Troy and I should have never tried to get together." I sighed, looking over at the picture of Troy and I in the back from when we were going out for the night in the town. I held it and couldn't help but notice that I was smiling.

I shook my head violently to wipe the smile off my face.

"You know you don't mean that." Zak said, sitting me down on the bed.

"Maybe I do." I sighed, falling back on my bed, "I mean, how can I like the guy who I thought totally hated me? I could have bet all of my life's money that he absolutely hated me and then all of a sudden he started liking me because he got jealous?" I said, thinking back at my history with Troy.

"Well sometimes it takes a guy to realize what he wants until he gets it taken away from him."

I thought for a moment, "Yeah, but sometimes guys only want what they can't have and then when they do have it, they'll let it go quicker than you can say 'stay'."

"But Troy isn't like all guys. You're generalizing the situation Gabs, it doesn't work that way."

"Well it's easier to generalize it." I countered.

"Look at this way," he paused, "If you did something in science and you were doing a lab then what do you do?" he asked.

I sighed, "Make observations."

"Exactly," he stated, "So would you just try and get the basics or would you try and dig deeper on the specifics?"

I looked at him and he smirked. I didn't really feel like giving him the satisfaction of the fact that he was right. "I'm sorry, Zak." I gave him a small smile.

"It's okay Gabs." He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close, "Just know that you're messing with his heart and well…it's not something to be toyed with."

"I know, but I kind of just want to be able to take a break from all the glamour of the relationship life." I sighed, "I care about Troy, but I don't want him worrying about me cheating on him. Everything happens for a reason; Zak and maybe Luke came into my life at a great time…" I noticed that as I kept talking, I began to get quieter and quieter.

"So you want to try something with Luke, is that it?"

"No. I just want to make sure there's nothing else…" I said, "For both me _and_ Troy. Maybe Jessica is really the one who he belongs with."

I hated to admit it, but that's all that was going through my head. Jessica. I didn't exactly love her…and knowing her, she would take up any opportunity to get her time back with Troy and now that I'm out of the picture, she'll have that chance.

"Gabi…"

"It's okay, Zak." I gave a fake smile, "Troy's open for any girl now."

"And that also means you're up for grabs for any guy…" he said.

"Yeah…"

_But I don't want any guy_….

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I slowly walked into the kitchen, knowing to expect to see Troy already up and eating. "Hey sweetie," Lucille smiled at me, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Um, I'm not very hungry." I said, "But thanks anyways."

"Gabriella, you didn't eat at all last night, are you sure you aren't hungry?" she said, looking at me with concern.

"I'm sure." I said, "Thanks Lucille. I think I'm going to leave early though so I can study a little more."

Lucille nodded, "Well alright, have a good day!"

I nodded quickly and as I turned, I couldn't help but look at Troy who was shoveling food in my face. "Bye, Jack." I waved goodbye and then looked at Troy, knowing I couldn't avoid him for long.

"Troy." I said, nodding and then turned on my heel abruptly so I didn't have to be in the same room as him.

I quickly grabbed my backpack and my laptop case, knowing that I wasn't actually going to study at all.

I opened the door and looked around at the neighborhood, feeling absolutely home sick. I missed the feeling of New York. I missed the people back at school, even if some of them were intolerable. I missed being able to take a taxi (even if it did cost more money than to get your own car). I missed Sam and Kayla way too much, even if they too were giving me lectures about 'taking a break' with Troy.

"Gabs!" I heard the familiar voice of Zak behind me as he was putting on a jacket on arm, while trying to close the door, while also trying to put his bag on his opposite shoulder.

"You need help?" I giggled, looking at his goofy composure.

"No! I got it!" he said, struggling with his jacket. "I'm gifted."

I laughed, knowing that he _was_ gifted, but he was also stubborn. He liked to prove that he was a good multi-tasker, but it was a rare day when he did prove it.

"Alright, Zak." I smirked, "Whatever you say."

I crossed my arms, rolling my eyes. I couldn't help but remember the first day when I met Zak. I had been on the phone Sam and Kayla that day, but then I was interrupted by Troy. I still hated Troy back then and before I knew it, Zak was asking me if Troy was bothering me. He was such a gentleman-not that he isn't one now.

"Bells…I need help." I heard Zak call and I rolled my eyes again.

I smiled though at my old nickname. He gave it to me on the very first day I met him and I couldn't help but miss summer. During the summer time, I didn't have to worry about other guys hitting on me. I didn't have to worry about other girls hitting on Troy and at the same time, make sure I was doing my school work.

I went over to Zak and helped him shut the door and held his bag so he could his jacket on. "You know, Zak, you could have just put your bag on the floor, closed the door, put your jacket on, and then put your bag on your shoulder." I said, knowing he makes everything too difficult than it needs to be.

"You and your brains." He scoffed.

"C'mon, you ready to go?" I laughed.

"Yeah, let's hit the road." He laughed as we started our way to school.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

We got to the library and I pulled out my laptop. I logged onto chat and noticed that Sam and Kayla were both on. "Huh." I said, beginning to start a chat with them.

"What?" Zak looked up from his laptop.

"Sam and Kay are online."

"Oh, are they still together?"

I smiled at that particular question, "Still going strong."

"Did you actually believe that they were going to get together?" he said, shutting his laptop.

I laughed, "Well…no not really. To me, they were always like brother and sister to me, so I assumed that they thought the same of each other. So when they did admit their feelings to each other, I was surprised and thought it was a little…odd, but I guess they deserve each other." I shrugged, "They belong to each other."

"I think they're a good couple. I mean, they're a little peculiar, but it's nice to see them together." He laughed.

"Yeah, it is." I smiled.

_A/N: For those who didn't read the first story, NewYorkGurl17 is Gabriella, LadysMan247 is the lovable Sam, and Writer_At_Heart47 is Kayla! _

**NewYorkGurl17: Hey, what are you guys doing on? **

**LadysMan247: We're on our off period, what are you doing on?**

**NewYorkGurl17: Zak and I are in the library, 'studying'. **

**Writer_At_Heart27: Why? And why are you calling it 'studying'? **

**NewYorkGurl17: I was avoiding a certain blue-eyed person…**

**LadysMan247: Gabs, you and I both know that's not a good idea. Did you finally come to the realization that going on a break with that certain blue-eyed person was not a good idea? **

**Writer_At_Heart27: As much as I love you Sam, which trust me I do, but I hope you realize that she's old enough to make her own decisions, and since we're her friends, we should stand by her side and support her. **

**LadysMan247: Kay, I wouldn't be talking. You gave her the same lecture when you were on the phone with her before, remember? **

**Writer_At_Heart27:Yes, I do…and now I regret it. **

**LadysMan247: Well, then don't start giving me lectures about whether or not I'm doing the right thing. Besides, as friends, we also must make sure she's not making a big mistake that she'll regret for life. **

**Writer_At_Heart27: Yeah…I know. **

**NewYorkGurl17: You know, it's funny that even though that you guys are dating, you both still act like you're five and six year olds fighting with each other over who gets the 'cookie'. Hah! And you know what's also funny? The fact that you guys are talking like I'm not here. **

**LadysMan247: Sorry Gabs, but we're just discussing you and Troy here. **

**NewYorkGurl17: I see…**

**Writer_At_Heart27: So how are you guys doing then?**

**NewYorkGurl17: What do you mean? **

**Writer_At_Heart27: You know…**

**NewYorkGurl17: No. I don't know, Kay. But I'd love it if you could elaborate. **

**LadysMan247: I think what she means is; are you guys fighting or anything? I mean, other than not talking, is Troy doing okay? Is Troy upset? All that nitty gritty…**

**NewYorkGurl17: Oh. Um well we aren't really on talking basis, so we don't really **_**get**_** to fight, even if we wanted to. And of course Troy is upset. I'm upset too…but maybe it's for the best. For right now at least. **

**LadysMan247: So you're okay too then? **

**NewYorkGurl17: Yeah, I'm handling the situation. **

**Writer_At_Heart27: Are you nervous that Troy is going to go back to dating…well people like that she-witch of the west? With a 'b' instead of a 'w'.**

**LadysMan247: Really Kay, really? **

**Writer_At_Heart27: Really, really, Sammy. :P**

**NewYorkGurl17: If you guys could see me…you'd be seeing me roll my eyes. **

**LadysMan247: Oh don't tease us Gabs. But seriously, aren't you at least a little nervous? **

**NewYorkGurl17: A little…**

**Writer_At_Heart27: Which means a lot. **

**NewYorkGurl17: No, it means what it implies. A little. **

**LadysMan247: Don't you realize Gabi, that the meaning of a word and what you imply are two totally different things? **

**NewYorkGurl17: Fine. It means what it means by definition. **

**Writer_At_Heart27: Are you trying to make us believe that or are you trying to make yourself believe that? **

I looked up from the screen and looked at Zak and he raised an eyebrow in amusement. "What?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Nothing…" I said, looking back at the computer screen. I didn't know what to say.

**NewYorkGurl17: I don't know Kay…I just don't know. **

XOXOXOXOXO

I walked into homeroom and saw all of the familiar faces. One in particular, that I was looking forward to seeing. And worst of all, he was surrounded by a flock of girls in mini-skirts. "C'mon…" Zak whispered as he dragged me off to the opposite side of the room as Troy and his new groupies.

I nodded, knowing I wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of my lungs for being so stupid. But as I said before, I knew that I had to try and give Troy his space. I caused this and I shouldn't be wanting to take it back so soon.

"Hey guys!" Luke said, as he came into the room.

I smiled at Luke, who was wearing his usual light washed jeans and this time, a flannel to go along with it. "Hey." I smiled at him as he sat right in front of me and turned to look at me.

"So I heard about you and Troy…" he looked down at this hands, which were resting on the back of his seat.

"It's already spread around the school?" I droned. Great. Just great. How better can life get?

"Pretty much. It's all over the school that Troy is single and now on the market again."

"Well…we aren't broken up." I mumbled to myself in an angry one, "We're just taking a break."

"How does that work, if you guys live together?"

"It just means we are taking a break from each other…" I said.

"Sorry," Luke said, "I didn't mean it like that Gabs. I think whatever you want to do is what you should do." He added in a soft voice.

I smiled, gratefully, "Thanks Luke."

He gave me a smile in return, but before I knew it, I was staring at Troy again as he was soaking up all the attention. He looked like he genuinely happy. He looked like that's where he belonged. Not with me…but with people-_girls _like them. "So maybe it was for the best…" I whispered to myself. Or so I thought.

"He's always been like that." Zak said, "But when you came along, he changed for the best Bella."

"But-"

"I'm sure he misses what it used to be like, but I'm sure he misses you more."

"…you seem to be sure of a lot of things." I mumbled, wanting to go back home and sleep and never wake up.

"It'll be okay. And if you miss him so much, why don't you tell him?"

"My pride." I said.

"That reminds me of a song!" Sharpay came up and sat down .

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's called 'Other Side Of The Door' by Taylor Swift." She smiled.

I laughed a little bit, knowing the words of the song. It indeed was perfect for my situation.

_In the heat fight, I walked away  
Ignoring words that you were sayin'  
Trying to make me stay  
I said this time, I've had enough  
But you've called a hundred times  
But I'm not picking up  
Cuz I'm so mad I met tell you that it's over  
But if you look a little closer…  
I said leave but all I really want is you  
To stand outside my window  
Throwing pebbles, screaming 'I'm in love with you!'  
Wait there in the pourin' rain  
Come back for more  
And don'tcha leave cuz I know,  
All I need is on the other side of the door  
Me and my stupid pride,  
We're sittin' here alone  
Goin through the photographs  
Staring at the phone  
I keep going back over  
Things we both said  
And I remember the slammin' door  
And all the things I misread  
So baby if you know everything  
Tell me why you couldn't see  
That when I left  
I wanted you to chase after me…_

I sighed as the lyrics start to wondering through my head. I feel sorry for guys honestly. I mean, us girls say one thing and mean the exact opposite of what we said, then at the same time, we'll say one thing and mean what we mean. We want guys to lie to us when it comes to our looks or something, but then again, we also want them to tell us the truth all the time. We probably seem like we're bipolar. _(A/N: I am NOT dissing us girls, cuz I am one…but still. If you get what I mean…then yes, I think we are a tad bit…confusing at times. Even if boys are confusing too.)_

I smiled, remembering another familiar country song I used to sing with my mom all the time whenever it came on the radio.

_Any man of mine better be proud of me  
Even when I'm ugly he still better love me  
And I can be a late for a date that's fine  
But he better be on time…  
Any man mine of mine'll say it fits just right  
When last year's dress is just a little too tight  
And anything I do or say better be okay  
When I have a bad hair day!  
And if I change my mind  
A million times  
I wanna hear him say  
'Yeah, yeah, yeah I like it that way!' _

_Any man of mine,  
Better walk the line  
Better show me a teasin', squeezin', pleasin' kinda time  
I need a man who knows  
How the story goes  
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine, treatin', breathtakin' earthquaking kind  
Any man of mine_

_Well any man of mine better disagree  
When I say another woman's lookin' better than me  
And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black_

_He better say 'mmmm, I like it like that!' yeah_

(_A/N: If you can name this song, props to you! (without using the lyrics to look it up…)_ _I love the song! Okay…I like her music in general. Classic country! But I do NOT own this song at all! All rights go to its rightful owner!)_

I giggled to myself, knowing that I was bringing back great memories from back at home. I used to sing all the time with Kayla, obnoxiously, while giving Sam a huge headache because every time he told us to turn it down, we sang louder…

Yeah, I know we were nice gals when we were younger…

"What?"

"Just reminiscin' the old songs that were the story of my life." I smiled.

"Ah…" Zak chuckled.

Maybe this day wasn't going to be so bad…if I avoided Troy…

_Okay guys…that's the chapter for now. Be aware, that the next chapter is going to be skipping way ahead in time. Like thanksgiving ahead…so hopefully you guys won't get lost when I say it's late November. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I guess I got my inspiration back and my writing is betting loads better. I just had to put myself in Gabi's shoes and think about what I would say…  
Kind of like how I do with my fictionpress stories! Which ya'll should check out! _

_Shout-out(s): _

_Zac is my life(2x): I think it is. I think the first was in the first story, unless I'm mistaken, but hey, relationships have their ups and down. Except last time, Gabi went home so it's not going to be as extreme, considering it's not summer time. Anyways, I can't promise you anything, because I sadly do know how long the break is going to be and what happens, but oh well. I'm trying to make sure I'm moving the story along though so it's not just the same stuff over and over again. And I'm glad my responses make you laugh! I like to think of myself as a funny girl! Normally… hahaha. Anyways, yeah my friend writes too, but she likes to handwrite all of her stories. I do that during the school year, but then I discovered fictionpress, so I got to put them on that website instead so it's nice. My writing is improving, I think, so hopefully this isn't such a crappy chapter. Sorry for the long response, but hey, I had to reply to two! (: _

_Aly: Glad you liked it! Sorry for the wait! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Yeah…they'll work it out, I hope! (;_

_Crazy4BEIBER18MrsJustinBeiber: Hahaha, that was the second time I hadn't slept in over a long time. The last time was about 28 hours and then this time was like thirty. My mom found me awake at like 4 in the morning and made me stay awake all day and text her every half hour to make sure I was still awake. Yeah, not fun. And I'm sorry I switched it to the bottom, but I didn't like it at the top, but hey, maybe if you can name the song in the chapter, I'll switch it for you. And don't go cheating! Hahaha. Anyways, Americans can normally be fun. I kind of think we're all greety and stuff, but that's what we get for being in a democracy. Oh well! Have fun in Oregon! And I love getting reviews…but I lost all my reviewers…heh. And I did sleep! I promise! (;_

_So I do kind of miss my reviewers… so if you want to be awesome, please review me and give me feedback on this chapter? I liked this chapter the most in the last recent writing, so it would help me! Thanks guys! Oh and go back to my profile every once in a while to check out my plans for updating that week! Thanks to those who are supportive of me still! _


	20. Thanksgiving Gone Wrong Part 1

_Hey everyone! I'm excited to write now for fanfiction, so cross your fingers that this chapter is amazing! Hahaha! (:_

_Shout-out(s): (crazy right? I switched from bottom to top because somebody got the song right…hahaha)_

_Zac is my life: Well don't worry about writing me a chapter. It's nice getting a nice, long, heart-felt review instead of a short one that isn't really anything but 'That was good!'. You know? And I like the Sam and Kayla scenes too. It's always nice to get a little bit of comedy relief. I love Taylor Swift, but I usually have to be in the mood to be listening to Taylor swift. And I usually like writing on a computer if it's a story. That way I don't have to retype it on my computer to update a story. My penmanship is actually quite nice, but after a while, my hand gets tired and I'm already a fast typer, so why not use that to my advantage? And yeah, I totally understand what you mean when you say you can't figure out what to do later on. I hate having filler chapters because then they just get boring. Never want to have too many of those, right? I'm glad you liked the last chapter because that one was one that I was quite proud of when I finished it. And you don't write too much! I promise. Thanks for reviewing, as always! _

_IfOnlyLifeWasAFairytale: I'm glad you liked that chapter! And I really can't promise you anything about that. You'll have to read to find out! _

_IndependentHSMFAN23(3x): Well Gabi's eating problem…will sadly worsen over time and I'm not sure how you'll take it. But that's my only hint for that one. The songs were a nice touch in my opinion since I love music so much. It a little thing of my own. Hahaha. Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing! _

_Trade Marked: Good job! Hahaha! Maybe I should have a little trivia question each chapter and give a shout to those who got it? _

_Pumpkinking5: You're definitely one of my favorite reviewers I have to say. So thank you very much and I'm glad that you're enjoying the chapters! Thank you so so so so much for continuously reviewing! _

_Crazy4BIEBER18MrsJustinBieber: If you haven't noticed yet, the shout outs are back at the top. I'm not sure for how long, but I thought since you got the song right, I'd go back and change it. Hahaha. So props to you for knowing such a good song. Glad you like Sam and Kayla. They're definitely fun to write. And sorry you don't like Zak that much. He sticks though. And it's okay that you skip to shout outs. They're fun to write anyways. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Shout-out(s) to those who got the song: Crazy4BIEER18MrsJustinBieber and Trade Marked! _

_Trivia question for the chapter: What "so-called" war spawned dueling slogans, "Better dead than read" and "Better red than dead" in the 1950s? (it only counts if you know it with your background knowledge so no cheating! :P)_

_On to the chapter and with a side note, this is November and thanksgiving. So…keep that in mind. _

_Oh and this is going to be really long so I'm either going to split it into two or three parts. _

Chapter 19-Thankgiving Gone Wrong Part 1

I stared out my window waiting to see Troy's new guest in my room. I waited for Zak to come and I was waiting for my mom to show up. I was waiting for Sam and Kayla. I was waiting to find out why Zak was missing so much school. _I_ was waiting to find out why Troy lied to me when he said he wasn't seeing anybody…

The last month or so had been more painful than I thought it would be. Troy found a girl who he met at a basketball game. She was from around town but went to a totally different school. He said that he really liked her. He said that she was more than he could ever wish for. Sadly, he never said that to me. He said that to Chad who told Taylor…who told me. Isn't it wonderful to hear something about somebody you care about from someone else? I know. It makes me ecstatic too…

Sam and Kayla were coming here for break because both their parents decided that it would be really nice for them to visit me on Thanksgiving so we could see each other. Since they were leaving, their parents were going to go to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving. Lucky people…

I was glad though that we were on break. I didn't have to watch Troy get hit on by a bunch of girls. I didn't have to watch people give me nasty looks for dumping the oh-so wonderful Troy. It turns out, I never really asked Troy for a break, I dumped him. And some people thought he dumped me. And what was Troy doing about it? Absolutely nothing. He stopped talking to me and he stopped giving me any sort of attention.

"Knock, knock, knock." A voice came as my door squeaked to an open.

I looked to see Lucille smiling at me. "How are you sweetie?"

I put on a smile, "Just fine." I said, looking back at the window.

"Would you like a snack of some sort while we wait for everyone to arrive? Your mom won't be here for another hour and Zak said that he was going to be late because he's in-"she paused, "He's out shopping." She clarified.

I narrowed my eyes at her as she smiled at me. "Kayla and Sam are still at the airport getting their luggage and we'll pick them up as soon as we can."

I nodded. It was only a short few days till Thanksgiving and for once, I wanted nothing more than to go home and be by myself in a big New York penthouse. I wanted to be alone on Thanksgiving. How sad was that?

"So, anything you want to eat?" she asked, "I'm making some appetizers for everyone before they arrive."

"No thanks." I said.

"Gabi, I noticed you've been losing a few pounds in the last few months. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Thanks though." I faked a smile, knowing I had lost a lot more than just a few pounds. I always put on extra layers of clothing so nobody noticed. Zak stopped noticing after I ate a little bit at lunch and Luke never really noticed. Taylor was hanging out with Chad more and more these days and with Chad means with Troy. Troy stopped sitting with us and moved back to his regular spot in the cafeteria.

"Well…okay then." Lucille said, "Get dressed though. Troy's girlfriend is going to be here soon."

I sighed as I watched her leave my room and I stared at the window for a few minutes. Zak was going to be late because he was out, my mom was going to be in a long, agonizing hour, Sam and Kayla were almost here, and yet…Troy's new girlfriend was going to be here in a matter of minutes. It hurt hearing those words put together in one sentence. Troy. New. Girlfriend.

I got up and decided that I would wear nothing too nice. I decided to give up on the way I was looking because I had nobody to impress. Luke and I hung out a lot more these days and it was nice to know that he was there for me when nobody else was. Zak had been gone all the time and Sam and Kayla always seemed to be busy with something back in New York.

I decided on a dark washed pair of skinny jeans and a nice blouse that was a navy blue to go with it. I did nothing with my hair but let it down from my messy bun and brushed through it a little bit. I grabbed my flats and then went downstairs to hear the doorbell ring. I wasn't ready for this.

Troy's door opened quickly and he looked way too nice. He was wearing a some nice jeans and a white button up shirt that was untucked and his sleeves were rolled up a little bit. It gave him that casual-fancy look. His hair had that messy bed head look and if I could, I would have swooned right there.

He looked at me and then looked away and went downstairs without even giving me a moment's glance. And right then, I felt another pang of pain sweep through my chest. I didn't want to do this. "GABI! OUR GUEST IS HERE!" I heard Lucille scream as if I were deaf.

I inwardly groaned and went downstairs to find a tall, beautiful blond staring me in the face. "Hi, I'm Madeline, but you can call me Madi." She gave me a smile.

"Gabriella." I said, returning the smile.

"So you're the one living with Troy? That's really awesome. I'm sure it's really nice. I've heard so much about his parents so I'm sure they're really great to you." She gave a smile to Lucille and Jack and they gave her a smile in return.

Great, not only was she pretty, but she was really nice. There was no possible way I could hate her now. It wasn't fair to hate her. She was beyond nice…

"Lucille and Jack are amazing." I agreed as I wanted to go back into my room and hide.

As if on cue, I heard my phone ringing in my room, "Um, if you'll excuse." I gave a small smile to Madi and she gave me a smile of reassurance.

I ran upstairs and grabbed my phone off my bed, "Hello?" I said in short breaths.

"Hey Gabs! How are you?" I heard Luke's voice and I smiled.

"Hey Luke," my smile grew wider, "I'm doing okay. How's your break treating you so far?"

"It's absolutely amazing. I was hoping though if we could hang out soon. I'm getting a little bored and-"

"So you only called because you were bored?" I teased, "I feel loved."

"You know that's not what I meant." He said, "Please? I want to meet the infamous Sam and Kayla too." He pleaded.

"Well they're arriving soon and we're going to pick them up from the airport so yeah, we can definitely hang out." I smiled.

"Cool!" he said, "How about we go and hang out at the park? Call me back when they're here and tell me about the plans."

"Okay. Is it okay if Zak joins?" I asked, hoping it would be. I needed to be around Zak again. I was starting to fall apart without him and Sam and Kayla.

"Of course!"

"Awesome, I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, see you."

I clicked the end button and then smiled to myself. I was getting to be around people who would distract me from the boy who was secretly stomping on my heart every time he was near me. "This should be fun…" I whispered, closing my eyes, wishing that what I said would be true.

"What will be fun?" a familiar voice said.

I looked up to see a blue-eyed boy staring straight at me. "Nothing." I said, looking away. I didn't want to talk to him and I wasn't going to start now. If he got to avoid me, so did I.

"Well you should tell me." He said, with a harsh tone.

"Too bad." I said, getting up.

"Gabi, Troy, we're leaving to go pick up Sam and Kayla!"

A big smile spread across my face. I ran downstairs and grabbed my black waterfall cardigan from my closet and ran downstairs. My smile fell when I noticed that Madi was coming with. Sadly though, it wasn't fair for me to even hate her at all. She was a nice girl and she made Troy happy. "So are we going to get your friends?" Madi smiled at me.

"Yep!" I said, trying to sound really enthusiastic, but honestly, it wasn't working at all.

I went out the front door and wasn't quite sure if I wanted to sit with Troy and Madi or if I wanted to and sit in the way back so I could sit with Sam and Kayla. "Why don't you sit in the back Gabi?" Lucille said as she opened up the trunk of the SUV to put up the seats.

Well I guess my decision was made for me.

I hopped into the back and we were on our way.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"GABI!" Kayla screamed running towards me, completely dropping her bags, leaving Sam behind me. She ran to me until I was enveloped in a huge hug that almost knocked the wind out of me.

"Hey Kayla." I laughed, hugging her tightly, "How was the flight?"

"Amazing! But I honestly can't stand those flight attendance people! How do they smile all the time?" she shuttered, "Sam things they're nice and they're just doing their job. I think they're psychotic."

I laughed at her humor and hugged her once more and then looked at Sam who was giving me a sly smile. "Hey Sam."

"Is that really all I get?" Sam chuckled, opening his arms widely.

"No!" I smiled, "Of course not!" I said wrapping my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"I missed you." He whispered into my ear, "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah…" I lied. I hated lying to him. I didn't like it, "Are you?"

"Fabulous." He said, giving me a look down, "Have you lost weight?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

_Crap_. Nothing ever got past Sam. "Yeah. A little bit." I smiled at him.

"Gabi?" he whispered, "Are you really okay?"

"I am now!" I said, giving him a wink.

"Hey Troy, how have you been?" I heard Kayla say, which meant the rest of them have caught up to us.

"I've been good," I heard Troy as I was still hugging Sam, "You?"

"Absolutely amazing!" she said in that bright voice.

Sam let go of me and gave a smile at Troy. It's funny, because the last time they talked, Sam made Troy promise that he'd take care of me. So much for promises, right?

"Hey man, what's up?" Sam smiled, being the gentleman that he was so famous for being.

"Not much, you?"

I wanted to go run away and get ran over by an airplane. Is that even possible?

"Same here." Sam said, "You been taking care-"

"Alrighty, let's go!" Kayla said, pulling Sam away, "Heave ho, heave ho!" Kayla said, "Sam go get my bag." She smiled cheekily at Sam who rolled his eyes.

I gave Kayla a grateful smile as Sam walked away and she gave me a wink. "So you're Troy's new girl?" Kayla smiled with great sincerity.

"Yep!" Madi smiled, "That's me!"

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you…" she trailed off.

"Madi. And you must be Kayla."

"Well it's nice to know I've been talked about." Kayla joked, smiling at Troy.

"Kay, I love you and all, but please, take your bag. It's heavy and I'm tired." Sam groaned, "What did you pack? Rocks?" he said, dropping it.

"And you're supposed to be the man in the relationship." Kayla scoffed and looked at Madi, "He's not very manly like your man Troy here." Kayla said nicely, but gave me a look that said 'I'm trying to be nice so don't hate me'.

"Haha, yeah," Madi laughed, "Troy sure is manly."

I sighed, knowing that this was going to be the worst day ever. Not only did I have to be nice to Madi but so did everyone else. Here I was, the ex and nobody even cared about me. Especially not Troy. "C'mon Gabs," Sam spoke, "I'll race you to the front of the airport."

A smile broke out on my face and I looked at Sam who winked at me, "Ready?"

"Set-"

I broke off running before I Sam could say go but before I knew it, I heard Sam's footsteps coming near me. "You're a cheater Ms. Gabriella Montez!"

"And you just don't know how to win!" I giggled as I ran faster trying to dodge as many people as I possibly could.

"Oh no you don't!" Sam called as he ran past me and made it to the entrance. I stopped running and smirked at him.

"Okay, okay, you won." I smiled at him as I brought him for a one-armed hug as I looked at Kayla who was laughing at us as she came up.

"You know, Sam," she said, "A gentleman would have just let her win."

"Well, I don't always have to be a gentleman." Sam said smugly.

Madi and Troy came up, look a little uncomfortable. "Kayla, I have a question," she smiled, "Don't you ever get jealous when Gabi and Sam hang out and tease each other?"

I widened my eyes and looked at Kayla who looked like she was about ready to go and strangle Madi. "Um actually no. Gabi consider Sam and I like brother and sister, so no, I do not get jealous at all. They've always been like this and I trust both of them. Being jealous would just make them believe that I didn't trust either of them, which isn't true." She stated clearly and gave a smile to both me and Sam.

"Oh. Sorry for asking." Madi said, clinging to Troy's arm.

I turned around rolled my eyes as I continued walking towards the car as Lucille and Jack started waving at Sam and Kayla. "Oh Kayla, you look beautiful dear!" Lucille hopped out of the passenger seat and went up to hug both Sam and Kayla, "How is Sam treating you?"

"Like I'm a precious little flower." Kayla laughed, "But oh well."

Kayla never was the type to be taken care of. She loved being independent but even though she never admitted it, she always longed for a guy to take care of her. But then again, what girl doesn't?

"Well I'm glad." She smiled, "And Sam how have you been?"

"I've been great, and you?"

"Excellent, and I've been absolutely wonderful." She smiled, "Are you excited to be here in Albuquerque?"

"Very." He smiled, "It'll be nice to have Gabi to ourselves again." He joked and smiled at me.

"I'm sure she's really happy that you guys are going to be together for the next week."

"She better." He looked at me and smiled.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Sam smiled as he pushed me to get into the back of the car.

"We're not." Kayla said, then pushing Sam to get in as she stuck her bag and Sam's bag in the very back.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"So Luke wanted to hang out today and meet you guys." I said as we reached the house.

"The infamous Luke?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Really? He wants to meet Kayla? Huh. I wouldn't." he joked and Kayla raised her eyebrows and smacked him in the stomach.

"Yes, the infamous Luke." I smiled, "What do you guys think?"

"Totally!" Kayla said, "I'm excited to meet him."

"Why don't you bring Troy and Madi?" Lucille suggested from the front of the car and I almost wanted to groan loudly.

"Of course they can come!" Kayla said happily. She always was way too nice…

"Great…" I mumbled as I got out my cell phone to call Luke back on the plans, hoping that Zak would be here soon.

"It'll be fine…" Sam whispered in my ear as we got out of the car and I heard the ringing in my phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Luke!" I said, "So here are the plans. Zak will be here, I'm hoping, soon and is it okay Troy and his new girlfriend comes?" I said, wanting to just say 'the girl who I was supposed to hate'.

"Yeah, that'll be okay." Luke said, "Do you guys need a ride or anything?"

I looked at Kayla and Sam who were joking around as they got out their luggage, "Nah. We'll walk." I said, "We'll meet up in like a half hour."

"Alrighty, see you then Gabs!"

"See you Luke." I said, "So I guess we'll be leaving in a half hour." I said, "So we better get you guys settled in."

"Perfect."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I walked slowly as we walked towards the park as I realized that Zak was still not here. Sam and Kayla were talking with Troy and Madi, trying to be the nice ones as I walked behind them, trying to ignore their laughter. "Where is he…?" I mumbled, trying to look around.

I had called him and it turns out, he was running a late and he was going to meet us at the park as soon as he possibly could. He said that was going to be able to maybe even catch us walking, but we were almost there and I didn't see him anywhere.

"Gabi?" Sam looked at me, as Kayla, Troy, and Madi kept talking.

"Yeah?" I looked up from the ground and saw a concerned Sam staring at me.

"You okay?"

"Just peachy." I muttered, wanting to go back home.

"Aw c'mon Gabriella!" Madi said with a bright voice, "It's the holiday season! You should want to jump for joy now that your friends are here!"

I wanted nothing more than to stick a rock down her throat and tell her to shut up. She had no right to tell me what I should feel. My friends may be here, not all of them were. And not only that, but she was clinging on to Troy with all her might right in front of me. I had no reason to want to be happy right now. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to be home. In New York.

"Right." I gave a fake smile, "Um you guys go ahead. I'm going to wait for Zak." I said, stopping at the curb that was pretty much next to the park. I sat down and then look down at my feet with a somber face. Where was he?

"I'll-"

"No Sam. Go." I said sternly as I pushed him away.

"C'mon, what if there's a rapist?" Sam nudged me with his foot.

"Fine. But Kayla, I don't want you waiting with me and Sam. It's not fair to them." I said, looking at Troy and Madi, cuddling.

"Okay." She smiled, "I'll see you guys. C'mon guys." she said, looking at Troy and Madi.

"Don't worry. He'll be here." Sam whispered.

_Okay…so this chapter was getting a little long for me so I decided to end it there and you'll be looking at around three parts for this chapter. So yay! Hopefully you guys don't mind the switch up! I quite enjoyed this chapter, but I'll like the next two a lot more! Enjoy and please review!_

_Oh…and sorry if there are any mistakes. Tell me if there are any and I'll fix them! _


	21. Thankgiving Gone Wrong Part 2

_Alright let's make this author's note quick. Oh. Number one, I'm sorry for the late update. Number two, I was busy last…well the last two weeks. Number three, you all do a horrible job of telling me of my errors…geez. Number four, enjoy. _

_Shout-out(s): _

_Jojo xoxo: Huh. I was trying to make Madi likeable and hateable at the same time. I guess I'll have to work on my writing skills. Egh. Glad you liked it and sorry for the long wait! Thanks for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: Yeah…well I like writing because it looks more personal, you know, but eh, not for stories. I like writing feelings down on paper and then burning it. (Is that bad if I just said that?) Oh well. And me too! Fillers SUCK! Oh my gosh, I hate it. It makes me annoyed as a writer. Bleghity blegh, blegh, blegh! BLEGH! Is that enough bleghs? Anyways, I'm glad you liked that chapter. I re-read it just now and yikes, it needs some editing! There are a lot of errors. I need a beta or something…so yeah. But I am glad you enjoyed the more heartfelt, emotional chapter than anything else. It was nice getting back into the groove of things for this story. I was starting to get scared I lost it. Eek! Hahaha well enjoy this chapter! _

_independentHSMFAN23: I make sure Sam notices everything. Him and another boy, but that's all that seems to matter. The more I do something with one character the more I can put a big BANG later on in the story. You know? Glad you liked it though and thanks for reviewing! _

_MissEllaSalvatoreBieber18: You changed your username again? GEEZ! I'm getting confused now. And not only that, but it's long again. Oh my goodness… (not that it's a bad thing, but it confuses me.) And well since you got the answer right I kept it up at the top. Even though it looks kind of odd now. Anyways, …I hate that you think Zak is okay…but I'm not going to tell you why. That would spoil the ending. And everything that is to come for the story. Anyways, celebrating Thanksgiving isn't that big of a deal .You get to eat and…well…be thankful for everything that has happened to you. It doesn't need to be a day. It should be every day. Thanks for reviewing! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Thanks for reviewing! _

_Pumpkinking5: Eh. We'll see what happens later with Troy's weirdness and stuff. And I don't think Gabs is being wishy washy but it can be perceived that way I guess. Anyways, thanks for reviewing. _

_Aly: Woah! Language? No just kidding! I cuss sometimes too, but it was interesting to see stuff like that in a review because I've never seen stuff like that. Hahaha. Thanks for reviewing! _

_Shout-out(s) to those who got the trivia question right: MissEllaSalvatoreBieber18  
The answers I was willing to consider right: The Cold War and World War II. _

_Riddle this time: (Lateral thinking…)  
There was once a recluse who never left his home. The only anyone ever visited him was when his food and supplies were delivered but they never came inside. Then, one stormy winter night when an icy gale was blowing, he had a nervous breakdown. He went upstairs, turned off all the lights and went to bed. Next morning, he had caused the death of several hundred people. How? _

_This one is impossible and if you get it, I'll be shocked. I didn't even get it. ): _

_Okay…ONTO THE CHAPTER! I decided that it was best to bold it so people could figure out where the heck the chapter started if they wanted to skip my bantering. EGH. _

**Chapter 19-Thanksgiving Gone Wrong Part 2 **

I stared at the ground in front of me, still waiting for Zak. Where was he? Lucille said he was coming right after he was done shopping. How long did a boy ever shop? Sam hated shopping and he went shopping than the average boy in America.

"Seriously Gabi, if you get any tenser, you're going to go frigid, and I'll be able to snap off your arm and eat it."

I raised my eyebrows at him, "What?"

"I was making a joke. But seriously, calm down. I'm not really going to eat you. I'm not a cannibal." He said, laughing lightly.

"Lame joke." I said, trying to calm down as best as I could.

"Hey!" Zak smiled at me, "I was held up with my mom. We were baking."

I narrowed my eyes, "Lucille said you were shopping."

"Oh!" Zak said with a glint of worry in his eyes. If I had blinked, I wouldn't have seen it, it was gone so fast. "We went shopping for some food and stuff but my mom thought it would best if we started baking some cookies now, so if we couldn't do it later, they'd be done."

"I don't-"

"Great!" Sam said, trying to pull me up, giving me a look.

_Like liars…_

"Yeah, sorry for the hold up. But hey Sam! How are you?"

Sam gave him one of those man-hugs and smiled, "I'm good. You?"

"Couldn't be any better." He gave a smile as he enveloped me into a hug.

"I'm really sorry I haven't hung out with you that much Gabs." He whispered, "I'll make it up to you."

"It's okay." I said, relaxing a little bit. All I wanted to know was what was really going on with Zak. I knew he was lying. I didn't like liars. Who on earth does? I get it, sometimes the truth is hard to say and sometimes it's easier to tell a lie, but if nobody lied the world would be…not as bad in a way.

"So what are we doing?" Zak pulled away, draping an arm onto my shoulder.

"I have no idea to be honest." Sam said, "But let's go find out."

We walked into the entrance of the park and saw Troy and Madi clinging to each other like magnets underneath the tree I used to always go to when I was upset. And when I say 'used to' I mean, starting right now. I saw Kayla sitting on top of a wooden picnic table, picking at the wood.

"Hey, what are you guys up to?" Sam asked politely.

"Oh, nothing! Troy was just telling me how he's had so many great memories in this park! It's just so beautiful here in the fall! Isn't it Gabi?"

"Yeah." I said, plastering a smile on my face.

"Are you Troy's new girl?" Zak spoke up, puncturing the silence.

"I am indeed." She smiled, getting up, "I'm Madi. And you are?"

"I'm Zak." He said shaking her head, "It's great meeting you. I'm sure Troy will take good care of you."

"I would hope so. But Troy is so good to me and I'm sure he's really great to all of you." She smiled, looking at all of us.

_Well…he was_

Oh shut up.

_I'm you. I can't shut-up._

Oh my freaking gosh I'm going insane! Somebody call the police!

_Grow up. _

You grow up.

"Gabs?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?" Zak whispered.

"'Course."

"You look skinnier." He said, "You're eating right?" he whispered.

"Yup." I lied for the umpfmillionth time today. Man. Talking about not liking liars. I was starting to hate myself for lying to him.

"Gabi…"

"I am." I said.

"If you say so…"

"So what is it you guys do here?" Madi asked in a bright voice.

You know that feeling when you're in a droned out mood and everything look dull and then when there's one thing that's too bright, it hurts your eyes and gives you a small headache? Yeah…that's Madi.

"Um, everything." Zak said, "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I think this place is kind of dull if we can't do anything. It's pretty, but I think it would be more fun if we went bowling or something."

"We can do that." Troy finally spoke.

"Yeah, that would be fun." Luke mentioned, "Oh. By the way, Sam, Kayla, it's really nice meeting you both."

Kayla laughed, "You too. We've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" Luke beamed.

"Really." Sam smiled, "You seem to be taking good care of Gabs while Zak here is busy."

"Well, every girl deserves to be taken care of." He smiled, "Right Gabs?" he winked.

"Uh…right." I said, spacing out.

"Notice how he didn't say a word about Troy." Kayla whispered into my ear as we began walking towards the front of the park again.

"Yeah." I said, "Right."

"Gabi, are you even listening."

"Yeah, I am."

"Then what's the square root of pi?"

"1.7724538509055160272981674833-"

"Okay, I get it." Kayla laughed, "Just making sure you know what you're doing."

"'Course I do." I said, staring straight ahead.

"Can we drive?" Madi said, "I'm kind of tired of walking and I'm getting a little chilly."

"Try New York." Kayla said in a joking-matter, "It's much colder there."

"Well we're in New Mexico." She said harshly.

Kayla looked shocked. I rolled my eyes. There had to be something wrong with her. Troy was dating her. There was something wrong with Jessica and there was something wrong with me. Or maybe it was just me being with him. I don't know.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Kayla. I didn't mean it like that. I just mean, I'm cold."

"We can drive." Zak said, offered, trying to lighten the mood.

"Great!" Madi said.

"Yeah, we can jam out and stuff!" Sam said.

"Definitely." Kayla said.

"I want to walk." I said dryly, "So I'll meet you guys up there."

I know it sounded harsh, but I wanted to get my thoughts clear and cleansed so I wasn't such a bleak version of the Gabriella I once knew. I wanted to calm down and get away from the loud banter that Madi was.

"I'll walk with you." Luke offered.

"Can I walk alone?" I said, "It's only a half a block away. I'll probably beat you guys there because you guys have to walk back. I'll be there really soon." I shrugged, "It's the distance from the here to the house." I explained.

"Are you sure Gabi?" Luke said, looking worried, "I really don't think you should walk by yourself."

I smiled at his kindness, "Luke, I'll be fine. I have my phone on you and if anything goes wrong, I can call any of you."

_Troy's number was still on speed dial. _

"Right. Okay. So you're sure?"

"Yeah, I just kind of want to get all my excess energy out. You know?" I smiled.

"Yeah, I get it. I'll see you there. Be careful." He smiled.

Sam and Kayla gave me a wary look as I turned around to start walking in the opposite direction.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I sighed, feeling a lot better. I was beginning to start liking the company of myself and only myself. What was that saying? Misery loves its company. Well, it does, but the only way to make sure you didn't spread the misery, was staying away and trying to fix yourself before anything else.

I looked at the dull sign that was missing the 'w' light in bowling so it looked like boling. I laughed slightly and smiled. It was amazing how something so boring could look so beautiful. Kind of like those black and white pictures.

I was right though, I had beaten all of them to the bowling alley. It was nice to sit outside though, by myself and enjoy the quiet. I didn't have to worry about getting distracted by Troy and Madi and I didn't have to think about what was really going on with Zak. All I had to do, was just sit and breathe and look good. Or as good as I could…

"I can't believe you beat us!" Madi jumped out of the car giggling, "I honestly didn't think you would! You're just as smart as they say you are!"

I looked at the rest of them while they got out of the car, "They?"

"Ummm…yeah. They. Everyone." She looked at everyone behind her and I nodded.

"Oh." I said, smiling curtly, "I guess I'm smart."

"She's a genius." Sam said, as he went over to me and gave me a big smile.

"I can be." I laughed.

There was a brief silence before I looked over at Kayla who was smiling. "Who's ready for some bowling?"

I smiled, "Me."

"And who's ready to get their butt whooped?" Kayla laughed as she opened up the door to bowling alley.

"You wish." Sam laughed as he took her hand and pulled her in.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"You suck, you know?" Kayla huffed as she sat down, looking at the two pins that were still up.

"I know." Sam smiled smugly, "Or I'm just talented." He said.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled none the less. Sam was beating Kayla by a full strike, and she absolutely hated having somebody beat her, especially Sam of all people. I had gave up trying to beat anybody. I was in last place, right behind Madi, but I didn't really care anymore. Sam was in first place, Zak was in second, and Troy was in third, while Kayla was in fourth.

"Okay, Gabi, you're up!" Sam said, "You want some help?"

"Nah. I'm in dead last. I won't be able to catch up." I shrugged, "It's fine."

Zak got up and grabbed me, "You're going to catch up." He smiled as he grabbed my ball for me and handed it to me.

Zak, being the cheesy, gentleman that he was, grabbed me from behind and rested his right hand over mine and wrapped his other arm on my waist. "You're going to get this for once."

"I can do it myself you know, Zak." I said simply, as I stared down at the ground at the arrows and then down the lane to the pins.

"Well I want to see you make at least on strike." He said he started making me down the aisle, swinging my arm backwards and then lightly swinging it forward, "Let go." He whispered.

I let go of my arm and then watched the ball go straight down the middle of the lane and knock down all ten pins.

"Bingo." He said, as I felt him smile against my cheek.

I couldn't help but felt a huge smile come across my face as I turned to around to pull him into a hug. It was moment like these that made me feel like I wasn't totally lost. It was moment like these, when I didn't have to worry about what Troy was doing and how he made feel because I was 'distracted'. It didn't matter because I was happy for that moment.

"Thanks." I whispered.

But before I knew it, Zak was shaking violently. His arms began to flail around everywhere and was down on the ground.

"ZAK!" I screamed, panicking, not know what was going on or what I should be doing.

"Oh my god, he's having a seizure!" Madi screamed.

A…seizure?

"I'm calling 911." Kayla said calmly.

"I got his parents." Sam said.

And what did I do? I just cried.

_Okay…you probably all want to kill me. Go ahead. I'm really sorry for the late update and the retarded cliff hanger. So, there's Zak secret. Or at least part of it. Enjoy and review! _


	22. Thanksgiving Gone Wrong Part 3

_Hey everyone, I really am sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. I'm such a bad person. I've been extremely busy with school work and marching band. In fact, I literally just finished the majority of my homework. So I decided as a break for myself, I'd get to finally write for myself...and well for you guys. I know I said that I was going to update quicker but I didn't realize that marching band was such a time commitment. I literally go to marching band right after school then right after that I eat dinner and then go to sleep. I barely have time to go and hang out by myself and relax. So hopefully you all understand. Oh...and my mom usually needed the computer, and just yesterday, I got my own brand new laptop! So it'll now be easier for me to update whenever I want to. Well...let me clarify. When I have time. _

_Shout-outs: _

_L 94: Well I'm very glad that you like this story so much. It's definitely flattering and it makes me want to write more, so thank you. I hope you understand why I haven't updated in...well two months, and hopefully you haven't forgotten about this story. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_Zac is my life: I'm sorry if it confused me. I guess it's because I haven't read my own story in a while and it takes me a while to figure out where the heck I left off. Hopefully I didn't confuse you too bad. (; And well, I usually burn it at night, and outside with a hose. But last time I did it with my friend...my mom wasn't very happy with it. She thought it would end poorly. But oh well. And...oh fillers. How we all loathe you... hahahaha. And I hate word too. It changes something or it thinks something wrong and then I just want to throw my computer. It never ends well... hahahaha. But now I don't have word...but hopefully I'll get word soon. Anyways, it's always flattering to hear you say that you enjoyed the chapter. I'm definitely improving on my writing skills...I think. I just love reading your reviews! So thanks! (: _

_themsjadey: I'm glad you liked it! Well, we'll have to see what happens with Zak. It'll all revealed soon. (: Thanks for the wonderful review! _

_Pumpkinkin5: Well, I can't say what's exactly what's wrong with Zak, but you'll find out in this chapter. It should definitely be something that...will be more different for me to write. And Troy...ummm...he has problems. Hahahaha. We'll just have to figure it out...won't we? Thanks for reviewing! _

_Aly: Hahahaha, I don't care. I'm in high school...so I'm sure I've heard enough cuss words to get me along for the rest of the year. I just like teasing. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reviewing again! _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Well, we'll just have to see... it'll definitely be a dramatic story. Thanks for reviewing! _

_MissEllaSalvatoreBieber18: Hahahaha...umm I'll give you half credit hahaha. Anyways, Zak's secrets will be revealed sooner or later. Don't worry about changing your name. It's really no big deal. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

_Sorry guys, no riddle this week. I think it'd be best for me to just start writing so I don't make you guys wait anymore longer. _

_Enjoy the chapter! _

_Quck note: Zak only has a mom. I totally forgot to change that in the last chapter..._

Chapter 19-Thanksgiving Gone Wrong Part 3

I finally began to stifle my tears as I watched the EMTs take Zak put him on a stretcher. "Zak..." I whispered as I hugged myself tightly, unsure of what to do.

"It's going to be okay." Kayla whispered as she put an arm around my shoulders, grasping the opposite shoulder tightly with her arms.

"Kay's right." Sam whispered, as he wrapped us both into a hug tightly, 'He's a trooper. He'll be fine."

"I hope you're both right." I whispered I said as we got into the car, ready to head to the hospital.

"Hey..." Luke whispered looking at me with a worried look, giving me a small smile.

"Yeah?"

"Everything will be okay. It all works out in the end no matter what happens. And if it doesn't, then it's not the end. My mom used to tell me that all the time and sometimes I didn't believe her, but it always did work out in the end." he said, sliding into the car next to me.

"Really?"

"Hey, I didn't want to move here."

"Oh."

"And now I love it here. I met a pretty amazing girl." he smiled.

I smiled at his sweet comment and looked up at Troy who was driving. His fist clenched the steering wheel and his jaw tensed. _Well...somebody's eavesdropping..._

"Thanks." I said, "You're not so bad yourself."

"Good to know."

I smiled, feeling a little bit more comfortable. "It'll be okay. Zak's parents will tell us what's going on."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

We all rushed into the hospital, going to straight to the front office. "Where is Zak Greene?" I said, wanting to go see him. I wanted to ask him what was _really _going on. I wanted to ask him what he was _really _doing early on today. He wasn't shopping.

"I'm sorry, you can't see him now. He's in critical condition right now and his doctor his speaking with his parents right now. If you must, you all can in the waiting room."

"What's wrong with him?"

"I think it would be best if the doctor or his own parents told you." the woman said.

"What's wrong with him?" I repeated.

"C'mon Gabi, we'll go see him in a second. Let's go wait for the news." Sam nudged me along, going to the elevator, with the rest of them following.

I pressed the up button, wanting to break down once again. I didn't have Zak anymore. He was...different. He was changed, and I was stupid and didn't try and pry him open. I was stupid enough to think that he was going to tell me soon. I should have just asked him what was going on and not taken 'no' as an answer.

I felt tears begin to fill my eyes, as I began to think what was wrong with Zak. "Gabi, it'll be okay." Luke said, trying to comfort me.

"Yeah Gabriella! It'll be all great! Zak's fine! I'm sure he's fine! He'll be back to normal in no time!" Madi chirped.

I almost glared at her. "Madi-" I stopped myself from blowing up.

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks." I whispered. _Nobody comes out of something like this unchanged. Nothing is going to be normal. _

"Of course Gabi. It'll be totally perfect!"

"Right...cuz everything was perfect before." I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." I said, as I stared down at my feet on the ground, hiding my tears as I let them roll down my face.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

I stared at the door, anxiously waiting for some sort of news. Some sort of glimpse of what was going on. All I knew now was that Zak had a...yeah and I don't even know why.

I felt a hand rest on my leg and turned to see Sam smiling. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Kayla is going to go get something to eat from the cafeteria."

I made a disgusted face.

"I know. Hospital cafeteria food. Doesn't that sound appetizing?"  
"Mmm..." I mumbled.

"C'mon, you need to eat something. You look like you're losing weight."

"I'm fine." I smiled.

"Gabi, please eat. You don't look good."

"Well thanks Sam."

"I'm not kidding Gabi. Kayla and I were talking and we don't like the way you look right now. It's like you're model-skinny. It's not funny. We're worried about you."

"I'm fine, Sam. I'll eat later. I'm not hungry right now. I ate something earlier."

"Really? And what was that?"

"It doesn't matter what I ate Sam. I ate, okay?" I said, getting defensive.

"Gabs, you need to eat." he said in a more stern voice.

"I said I'm fine."

"Gabriella."

"No."

"Gabriella, you will eat and if you don't then I'll shove it down your throat."

"Sam, I'm fine!"  
Sam sighed in defeat, "Fine."

He turned his body in the opposite direction practically telling me that he didn't want to talk to me anymore. He gave up on me. And that was almost the worst feeling in the world.

"Gabi?"

I looked up and saw Troy. "What?" I said, sounding bitter.

"Can I talk to you?"

"You kind of are."

"Privately?"

"Where's Madi?"

"She's going to the bathroom and then she's going to go the cafeteria with Kayla. But I want to talk to you. It doesn't matter where she is. She's not the jealous type."

"Of course she's not."

"Y'know what Gabi, I'm sick of this. Just come talk to me when you're done being a stubborn bitch."

"I'm being a stubborn bitch?" I said, raising my eyebrows, "Maybe you should try looking in the mirror before you start throwing around names."

"At least I know what I am." Troy threw back, "I know I can be a bit of a jerk-"

"A bit?"

"Fine, I'm one fucking, huge asshole who doesn't deserve to talk to you. But y'know what? At least I'm not lying to my friends to their faces! At least I'm still being social and alive and well. Okay? So don't start calling me shit when I know what I am!"

"Whatever." I muttered, "I'm going for a walk."

"Hey everyone." Lucille came into the waiting room, "Sorry we're late but I was texting Zak's mom and she said she'd be out in a second with some things to tell us. She wants to speak to Gabriella first."

"When?" I asked urgently.

"Soon." she gave me a small smile.

I felt a wave of fear fill my body as I went to go sit down on the opposite side of the room. Sam wasn't happy with me. Troy was...yelling at me. And Luke was reading a magazine. I didn't want to be bothered and the last thing I wanted to do was yell at somebody else because of my foul mood.

"Gabi?" Lucille sat down next to me, "How are you holding up?"

"I don't know." I whispered, "I just now I'm worried and I want to know what's happening to him."

"It'll be okay." Lucille said in a comforting voice, "They'll explain what's going on."

"Do you know what's going on?" I said, looking up at her.

"...I do." she said, giving me an uneasy look.

"Wait..." I paused, "You knew?"

"I'm sorry Gabi, but I didn't want to tell you. Zak wanted to tell you himself. He made us promise. He made Troy promise."

"Troy knew?" I said, feeling betrayed.

"...We all knew." she said, looking up at everyone in the room. "Even Luke."

"Excuse me." I said, getting up and walking towards the exit.

"Gabi, can we talk about this?"

"I don't want to talk right now." I mumbled as I wiped the tears that were escaping as I walked out of the room and towards the elevator.

"GABI!" a voice came.

I turned to see Sam and he was running after me. "Go away." I muttered as I pressed the button repetitively. I wanted to be out of here.

"Gabi, I have you're food." Kayla said from down the hall, smiling.

The elevator door opened and I quickly went in and pressed the '1'. "Gabi, didn't you hear me? I have you're food!"

"GABI!" Sam began to ran quicker as the doors slowly closed.

I fell to the ground as the doors shut and the elevator started making it's slow descend down to the bottom floor. "Why?" I whispered, feeling the warm tears hit my jeans as I brought my knees to my chest.

"They betrayed me! They didn't even tell me what was going on with him!" I cried, "Why? I had the right to know! I had more of a right to know than Troy!"

_He ignored me...and he still never told me what was going on with Troy. Ever. _

I looked up and saw that the numbers were slowly getting lit up, number by number and with that, I slowly stood up, wiping away my tears.

"It'll all be okay."

Their voices ran in my head. They all told me the same thing and yet, they never told me what was really going on. I felt so betrayed. I felt like I wasn't worthy of knowing the truth.

The elevator came to a halt with a 'ding' and when I came out of the elevator, Troy stood there looking at me with a look of...well I wasn't quite sure what at the time. "Gabi. We need to talk."

I rolled my eyes as I walked past him and towards the doors. "No." Troy grabbed my wrist and turned me around.

"You can't keep running away from me Gabi."

"You can't keep telling me what to do and what I am." I hissed back, "Now let me go."

"No. We need to talk."

"No. You need to leave me alone. Now get out of here."

"Gabi, it's important."

"No."

"GABI!" Sam yelled as he ran out of the 'stair' door. "The doctor said Zak's parents want to talk to you."

I looked up at him, unsure of whether or not I could believe him. They all had been lying to me for the past few months and not one of them told me what was going on with one of my best friends.

"I'm not lying. I swear. They're up there now. Zak is going to want to see you too."

"C'mon Gabs. We need you. _Zak_ needs you."

"You all don't need me, considering you couldn't tell me the fucking truth." I hissed as I walked towards the elevator once more, "And by the way, Zak doesn't need me. I need him."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

I walked into the room where Zak's mom was and I looked at her. Her eyes looked swollen and red like she had been crying before. "Hello Gabriella."

"Hi...Mrs. Greene." I smiled.

"Call me Tracy, dear." she gave me a hint of a smile, "But please, sit down."

I sat down next to her as she looked at down at her hands. "Zak wanted to tell you this himself, but it seems to me like I should just tell you now. He told me that if he couldn't tell you then I should and...well...I never thought that day was ever going to happen. I told Zak that he should have told you earlier, but he promised me he was going to tell you soon."

"Tell me what?" I said, my voice shaking.

"Gabi, about...well the beginning of...summer, Zak was beginning to have terrible head-aches. He acted out and he just never really cared. He's a smart boy as you know but that's probably why him and Troy didn't get along. I wasn't sure what it was so we had him go get some medication from the doctor and he said that if he wasn't seeing anything become...different then we should have him get an x-ray. It turned out he had a..." she paused and took a deep breath.

"What? A what?"

"He had a tumor. A brain tumor, about the size of a larger strawberry." she said, "Gabi, I really didn't want to tell you. You've helped Zak so much and because of you, he's beginning to love life again. He was so afraid to tell you. He didn't want to ruin your year here in New Mexico and the last thing he wanted to do was make you think of New Mexico as a bad memory."

"It would never be a bad memory Mrs. -Tracy." I said, "I loved it here. Zak...he made it a special memory. And...I..." _Cancer. Zak had cancer. _"I will never think of this last year as something horrible."

"I'm so sorry Gabi. It's been something that was hard for everyone to swallow. Zak has been taking chemotherapy but it doesn't seem to be working. The tumor is still growing and right now, I'm not sure anybody else knows what's going to happen."

I nodded, unsure of what to say. I didn't know how to process any of this. I didn't know what to do.

"And...the last thing Zak wanted was for you to be angry with him or anybody for that matter. He didn't want anybody else to tell you because he wanted to be the one to tell you. He thought it would be best that you heard it from him and not somebody else. He wanted you to hear it from him so you didn't feel like you weren't important. Zak didn't want you to worry about him."

"If only he knew that I was going to worry that he was keeping secrets from me."

"He figured you were going to catch up sooner or later and well he figured that this week was probably going to be the best time to tell you because you had the break to let it sink in."

"Oh Zak..."

"As you know Gabriella, Zak is a trooper. He'll get through it."

I nodded, hoping she was right.

"And he has you to help him push him along, right?"

"Always."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

I sat in the waiting room with Zak's mom next to me as I waited anxiously for news on Zak. I wasn't in the mood to be talking to Troy. He kept staring at me like he had every right to be talking to me and Sam was letting me have my space. I knew at one moment or another I was going to have to talk to all of them about all of this. But I was going to choose another moment. I wasn't ready to talk to them yet.

"You know, Zak always told me that he loved you." Zak's mom said out of nowhere.

I blushed lightly, unsure of what to say.

"He said that he just wanted to make you happy and he always said he saw that you were head over heels for Troy. He said he was glad you were happy."

"He was right... I was head over heels for the boy."

"You aren't anymore?"

"I'm not sure anymore."

"Well Zak said he thinks you are."

"Zak's a smart kid."

"Does that mean he's right?"

"I'm not really sure." I muttered.

"He also said that he thinks you should talk things out with him."

"Does he tell you everything?" I chuckled.

"Kind of. He just wants to make sure I know everything before anything serious happens..._if _anything happens."

"Right." I nodded, "Well I don't know."

"Zak wants you to be happy and if he makes you happy then let's not make Zak be unhappy."

I laughed, "Maybe later."

"There's no better time than the future."

"You know a lot don't you Tracy?"

"I'd like to thinks so." she laughed, "But really Gabriella, it's never going to the 'right time' to go and tell a boy that you still love him. So just do it."

"I will. I'll promise Zak when he's ready to get out of the place." I shuttered, "It's just so depressing in here."

"Agreed."

"Zak Greene's family?"

We all stood up and looked up to see a man who looked to be in his early fifties maybe younger in the familiar white jacket. "He's awake. He's not very coherent right now but he'll be ready to see people in about an hour. He's doing well right now, just a little tired."

"What happened?" Mrs. Greene said, playing with her hands, "Why did he have a seizure?"

"It seems to me like Zak's body isn't taking well to the chemotherapy.

"He's...rejecting it?"

"Well not exactly. Zak's body hasn't responded it to the best way...we thought it would. We're afraid that he might have only...a year. Maybe less."

I felt something hit me. I don't know what it was, but something hit me hard. It was like suddenly...a huge weight got packed onto my shoulders and then somebody thought it would be a good idea to punch me in the stomach just to make it even more unbearable.

"But it's...no. It can be cured somehow, right?"

"I'm afraid not like this." he said, looking down at his clipboard. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you Dr. McGanahue.

He nodded with a grim line on his lips as he turned in the opposite direction.

I stared down at the ground, "I can see him soon?" I whispered.

"Of course you can. Zak told me that if this ever happened he wants you to be the first person he sees when he wakes up."

I smiled, "He thought of everything didn't he?"

"He's a smart boy."

I nodded, "He is."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

I waited patiently for another forty-five minutes but suddenly the doctor came back. "He's ready to see people. He asked to see Gabriella first."

I smiled, "That's me."

"Perfect. I know why he wanted to see you first now." he winked, as he led me into the doorway.

I blushed as I looked at Tracy who gave me a small smile of encouragement as I disappeared into the doorways to see Zak.

I followed. Dr. McGannague and went into a room and saw Zak. He was paler than usual and he looked tired. "Hey." I said, trying to smile and not cry at the sight of him like this.

"Hey to you too." he smiled as he tried to move up.

"Come sit down." he said, patting down on his bed.

I slowly walked over to him and sat down next to him as he scooted over, "How are you?"

"I'm just peachy. How about you?"

"You're peachy?" I said, amused at his humor. Especially now.

"I am. But you didn't answer my question." he said, looking more serious, "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm just as peachy as you are."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Gabi. I asked Troy to watch out for you. I understand that you don't like him right now...or anybody right now. You probably hate me too, but Troy has been telling me that you aren't eating. Is that true?"

"Why would you believe Troy?"

"Because Troy knows you. He knows you as well as I know you. If not better."

"...I'm eating Zak."

"I know you're mad at me for not telling you Gabi. I'm so sorry. But you can't be doing this to yourself. Not now. I need you to be happy. I need you to be healthy for me because I can't be."

"Don't say that." I said, shaking my head, the tears filling my eyes.

"Gabi, I can't lie to you. Not now. I can't do that and you shouldn't lie to me. Or yourself. You aren't eating. You aren't healthy and you-"

"No. Zak."

"You can't do this by yourself. You need somebody and if it can't be me then it has to be someone. Gabi, you need to eat."

"Zak..."

"Please, for me."

"I-"

"Please."

"Fine..." I said, "Only for you."

He smiled, "Good."

He pressed a button on the side of his bed that looked like a food button and he smiled at me, "Are you really okay?"

"No..." I gave up, "I'm horrible."

"Gabriella Montez. I admire you so much. You're incredible and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here now. So don't start being the pessimistic boy I once was. It isn't fair. And not only that, but you deserve to be happy. Alright? You're an amazing girl and you can't be sad because I'm sick. I am sorry that I didn't tell you. I couldn't tell you. I didn't want to see your face when I told you that I was sick."

I laid down next to him, hugging him tightly, "It's okay. Nothing needs to be said right now."

_Okay...well that's the chapter. The End. Finally. Okay not of the actual story, obviously but the end of this chapter. It's been a long one and a dramatic one. I hope you all enjoyed it and I really am sorry for making you guys wait so long. Hopefully you understand! (: Review, Read, and anything else you want to do. Oh! And if you see any mistakes, please tell me. _


	23. Coping and a Smack in the Face

_Hey ya'll! I'm really sorry about not updating for almost a few months. Especially after a chapter that was as dramatic as that. I've been really busy with school. I thought after marching band I'd be open to do whatever I want to, but I really don't. I like to relax and even though writing is relaxing, I mean…I like to be able to sit down and watch TV or play guitar or listen to music. So I hope you guys understand. I really am sorry and I hope you enjoy the chapter! _

_Shout-out(s):_

_Fishing: No promises! Sorry. Hahahaha, but I hope you enjoy the update. Thanks for the review. _

_Santeelove: Aw, I'm sorry I made you cry. I did want to make it emotional though. For this story, I wanted it to mean a little more than just some simple love story between two of my favorite childhood characters. I'm sorry that you didn't come across this story sooner and I haven't updated it in… a long time, but I'd rather have a good chapter than one that was really bad and up sooner. Anyways, your review practically brightened up my day for saying that you love my writing. It means a lot and I just wanted to let you know, that people like you are the reason why I keep writing! So thank you so much! (: Thank you for such a sweet review! And hopefully, you read this chapter as well! _

_Zac is my life: Hahahahaha…well I tried to hint stuff as well as I could, but if you don't get it that's okay. I'm glad you like Zak though because a lot of people keep saying that they don't really like him. It might be because I had him do a lot of stuff in the last story, but oh well. I don't care. I love Zak. Hahahah. I'm glad you liked the chapter and everything. And I agree. Word and everything else that has to do with technology hates me. A lot. Haha. Thanks for reviewing, as always! _

_Kaybaby1127 (3x): Thanks for the reviews. _

_MissEllaSalvatoreBieber18: …no offense, but if you think that Gabi needs troy and not Zak then why would you care if Zak has cancer? …I know that sounds mean, but still, it shouldn't matter. The point is, is Zak has cancer and Gabriella needs her friend not her ex-boyfriend. As an author, especially of this story, that's just my opinion. Thanks for the review. _

_XxBabiiGurlxX: Well I'm sorry I made you cry, but I kind of take that as a compliment. Hahahaha. If it was sad, then I did what I wanted to! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Pumkinking5: Well… people learn from their mistakes and sometimes, you have to make the same mistake to get it set in your head. It just has to sink in and be concrete. We'll find out what happens as the story progresses. _

_So, I don't get that many reviews as I wish I did, but I really want to thank everyone who still reviews. Thank you for being patient with me. I want to finish this story so I can go and edit my old ones. And I'll even get to go back and edit this one too! And don't forget that you can send me a message and let me know if you want me to update on a particular day PLEASE don't be afraid to tell me. Thanks guys! _

_Oh and….I'm going to be lame, but you all should check out my fictionpress stories! Enjoy the chapter!_

Chapter 20-Coping and a Smack in the Face

"Gabi."

"Gabriella."

"Gabriella, come talk to me."

"I love you Gabriella."

"We care about you Gabs."

"Gabriella, you need to talk about it. That's the only way you're going to be able to get it out."

That's all I've been hearing for the past two or three days. It was getting old and to be honest, I didn't know if I could really make it all out any more. It became a blur and it started to become something that I couldn't believe.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk about it. I wasn't sure if I was upset about Zak not telling me or if I was sad because I only had such a limited time with him and I couldn't be mad at him. I wasn't even sure if I was angry with my friends for lying to me this whole time about Zak. It all hurt.

"Gabriella, can I come in?"

Lucille.

"Come in, the door's open."

I said staring at the paper I've been writing down my thoughts on and then looked up to see the door slowly open.

"I came in to see if you wanted any food or something."

I stared at the food she had for me and knew that I had to continue to work on my progress for Zak. It wasn't for me. It was for him. I knew that somewhere in my heart deep down, I thought that if I got better and stopped being so upset about everything that maybe Zak would get better too. It was a lousy excuse. But I had hope. And sometimes, that's what everyone needs.

I smiled at her, "Thanks Lucille."

I took the plate from her and took a bite of it slowly. I took my time chewing, not sure if I was going to throw this up or not. There were days when I did and then there were days when I didn't. I wasn't trying to do that. Well, actually, I didn't even understand why that kept happening.

"Gabriella, can I," Lucille paused for a moment, as if she almost regretted starting whatever this sentence was, "Uh…talk to you for a bit?"

I stared at her, wondering what it is that she was going to tell me. Normally, I didn't want to hear what she had to say. I just didn't want to talk anymore.

I thought hesitantly, "Um, yes."

"Are you still mad with everyone?" she asked softly.

"Sometimes."

She gave me a confused look.

"I'm only mad when I think about it, but really, I'm not as mad as I am hurt by it. I trusted everyone to tell me things that I would tell them but I had to find out my own. I understand that they were just listening to what Zak wanted but sometimes I forget that."

"So you're not angry?"

I shook my head.

"So then why are you still cooped up in this room all by yourself, still?"

"I just want to be alone for right now. Everyone wants to talk at their own time."

Lucille smiled, "I understand. Kayla and Sam are really worried about you. They gave up trying to come and talk to you but they want you to know that whenever you're ready to talk, they'll still be here. And…Troy, well, he's beaten himself up about this whole entire thing. He feels bad. I realize that things between you and my son aren't exactly great right now, but he still cares for you. I see it in eyes."

Her words sunk in to me slowly. I wasn't sure what to think of it. I really do care about Troy. He's that guy that even though he's hurt me and I'll admit, I've hurt him, I still can't change my opinion on him completely. He still has a piece of my heart with him that I won't let him return to me. I just don't know if I'm ready to admit that out loud.

"They all care about you. And Zak almost had me come in here and drag you out of your room. He wants you to enjoy your break. Be with your friends. Be with your mom. She feels upset that you're upset. She wants to know what she's missed in your life. And as a mom myself, I really don't want to hear it from someone else."

I nodded, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll go and talk to people."

Lucille smiled and gave me a small nod as she left my room. She didn't need to say anything more than that. And she knew it.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

I felt brand new as I opened the door to my bedroom, wearing clothes that weren't sweats or shorts and a t-shirt. I felt refreshed. The only thing was, I wasn't sure how long that was going to last. I missed talking to everyone, but at the same time, I wasn't sure if I trusted everyone any more. I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk everyone again.

I went into the kitchen and saw Troy making a sandwich and then turned to see Kayla and Sam watching T.V on the couch in the living room.

All eyes were on me. I looked at Sam and Kayla and both of them gave me a small smile. I didn't smile back. I realize that sounds harsh, but I wasn't ready for that. Y'know…baby steps.

I nodded and went out back for a moment. I wasn't quite ready to talk. I _was _ready to face them, but I wasn't ready to talk about things with them. But before I knew it….I realized that I guess, they were ready to talk. Why? Because Sam and Kayla came right after me.

"Hey." Kayla said in a low tone, that I barely could here.

I responded with a nod.

"How are you?"

"Fine."

"Really?" Sam asked, "Are you really Gabi?"

"Better than I was."

"Gabi, I don't want you to lie to us." Kayla said, in a harsh tone.

"Kay, can I talk to Gabriella…alone for a few minutes? After I'm done, you can do whatever you want, but I think I want to just talk to her for a sec."

Kayla nodded and then went back inside and as my eyes followed her inside, I saw Troy staring at me with a sad look. Almost an empty look.

I followed Sam down into the basement and he seemed a little tense, but if he was tense, he was doing good job of making sure I wasn't noticing it very much.

He turned around as he finally headed to where he normally sleeps and took in a deep breath and looked at me. "So, how was being locked up in your room for a few days?"

"Good. Because nobody bothered me after a while." I said, almost harshly.

Sam nodded and tried not to look like he was offended but I knew that he was. I never talked to Sam like this. Not ever. But that was when I trusted him. I don't know if I can anymore.

"Well…we all are really glad that you've finally decided to come out of the room. But Troy-"

"I don't want to hear about Troy." I said. Not yet at least…

"Okay…" Sam trailed off, "Well Kayla isn't very happy with you. She thought that you would have listened to her a long time ago so when she talks to you she'll probably be a little snappy. She's not really angry with you, but she's kind of hurt that you wouldn't talk to her at all."

"She's upset because she lied to me?"

"Well…that's a little harsh-"

"Sam. You all lied to me about something as important as Zak's life. Why would you do that to me? And if anything, someone should have told me! I'm the closest to him!"

"Gabi-"

"Don't Gabi me!"

I turned out and ran up the stairs and slammed the basement door in Sam's face as I heard him calling my face. I felt Troy and Kayla's eyes on me as I turned the corner and ran towards the stairs and ran up to my room, hearing Sam's footsteps behind me.

I slammed the door and leaned against it, breathing hard. How could Sam think like that? How could Sam think that this was my fault? That I was being stubborn?

"Gabi!" I felt the vibrations of the door from his knocking beat through my body.

"I'm sorry Gabi, I'm just frustrated. Can we please talk?"

"No." I said.

"I really am sorry. I don't know what I'm saying half the time. You know that and I'm really sorry that I said that. You know what I meant. Kayla and I are both really sorry. Kayla is a little frustrated but I think you both have a right to be."

"Of course you'd say that. You _are_ dating her." I said, realizing what I just said.

And before I knew it, Sam was twisting the doorknob and pushing with all his might to get through, knocking me over.

He stood over me, glaring. "You _know_that's not true Gabriella Montez. I would never choose over the two of you. You both mean a lot to me, but right now, you're being a stubborn…" he trailed off, "I hate to say it, but you're being a stubborn bitch! ZAK misses you right now. He's sick and you're not comforting him. You're here moping because some of your friends made some stupid , bad mistakes. We're all sorry. Most of all, TROY is sorry. I don't care if you don't want to hear it. You were the one who always told me to face my fears head on. And look at what you're doing? You're hiding, being a coward in your room not facing the facts." He breathed, trying to calm himself down and stared at me, his face softening.

"I love you Gab. I care about you. If you're mad about what I just said, then I'm sorry—no…I'm not sorry. I just want you to realize things now before it's too late. Before you lose your friends. And because I am your friend, I'll make sure Kayla stays downstairs."

And with that, he turned around and closed the door behind me.

I stared at that door for a long time.

What was I doing?

I was throwing away years of friendship and time with a new friend that was dying. I was losing the love of my life…

_Okay so turns out, I had the majority of this chapter written but I just…forgot about it and didn't finish writing it so I hope you guys enjoy it and you aren't too mad at me for not updating for months. I'm sorry. _


	24. One Step At A Time

_So I've probably lost another…fifty reviews and stuff for being so bad at life. I really am sorry for disappearing off the face of the planet, but I promise, I'm not dead and I'm not forgetting the stories that I'm writing. If you need to know what I'm really doing, go to my profile and read my updates and stuff. I recently added where I'll be updating each week on my profile, a day where I'll be updating the next chapter of this story. So go check it out!_

_Anyway, on with a chapter…_

_Shout-out(s):_

_Ashez2604: Glad you enjoyed it. I apologize for the long wait for the update, but thanks for reviewing!_

_Zac is my life: Word hates everyone. I swear. Technology hates me. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with updating and stuff this week. I'm trying really hard to start not procrastinate, starting today obviously, so we'll see. Anyway, thanks for reviewing! (:_

_EllaPayneStyles18: Hahaha well sorry for making you wait so long on the next update. I'm really bad about doing that. Anyways, I'm not going to be giving anything away and I don't really think Gabriella had a right to be that angry and upset. But that' s just my opinion as the author. Anyway, glad you liked I and thanks for the review!_

_Pumpkinking5: Glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Santeelove: I'm sorry this one is so short too. I'm needing inspiration desperately nowadays. I started loving High School Musical back when I was…nine or ten and now I'm much older than that and I'm not a big fan of High School Musical or the actors or actresses so it's hard to really dedicated myself to this story when I'm writing my own on a different website. I do know how this story is going to end though, but then I'm going to go back and rewrite my really crappy stories, so we'll see what up next. Thanks for reviewing!_

_Sweethappylove07: Well things will start getting better. I'm just trying to figure out how to convey my ideas myself, so hopefully you understand. Thanks for reviewing!_

_Yogaluv: It's life and a lot of things are going on with Gabriella…so we'll see, hahaha. Thanks for the review!_

_Fishing: Glad you loved it! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Jadiee: Glad you liked it so much. It really means a lot to me for you to review!_

_Djcandy666: Don't worry about reviewing, it's not that big of a deal. I'm glad you liked it so much and I hope you keep reading!_

Chapter 20-One Step At A Time

After Sam decided to give me a hell of a yelling, I had locked myself in my room for the rest of the day. I thought I was ready to face everything again, but I wasn't. I missed Troy but right now, I needed to fix things with everyone.

The problem with all of this was I didn't really know what I was going to do to fix what I had messed up. I was in a dark place and I didn't really know what I was going to do when it came to being the old Gabriella. Nothing was the same. I had pushed Sam and Kayla away, Zak was sick, and Troy and I weren't exactly on talking terms at all right now.

Sam was trying to help me and I kept pushing him away and the first thing I needed to do was fix it.

I looked out the window to my room and I realized that it was dark outside. I knew that I needed to do something about what I started today. Sam was only trying to help me and I had walked past him, acting too stubborn to apologize for my actions when I knew he was right. About everything.

I looked around and saw Sam staring out the glass door to the backyard. I smiled, remembering that the only time he ever did something like that was when he was deep in thought.

I cleared my throat, playing with the ends of my messy hair, nervously. Sam turned to look at me and he stared at me, waiting for me to say something.

"Hey." I said, looking around the rest of the basement, noticing that Kayla wasn't around, "Where's Kayla?"

"She's out for a walk. She wanted to get some fresh air. Y'know…away from all this drama." He said, moving his attention back toward what was going on outside.

"Oh." I nodded, "Well, Sam I…" I trailed off, realizing my voice was going to crack.

"Can we talk?" I said, "Just you and me?"

"No more screaming?" he said, looking toward me again.

"Just talking and listening. Civilly." I closed my eyes, trying to fight back everything that was going through my head, "No more stubborn Gabi."

I saw a hint of a smile creep onto Sam's face as he nodded and went to go sit down on the couch in front of the T.V. and then patted next to him to get me to sit next to him.

I sat next to him, breathing deeply to try and relax myself. This was the first time I had ever been nervous around Sam and that feeling broke my heart. I shouldn't have to be nervous in front of my best friend.

I clasped my hands together, then looked down at the floor, then toward Sam and took a deep breath giving him a smile. "Does everyone hate me?"

Sam chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, "I don't think any of us could ever hate you, Gabriella. We all love you and that includes Troy. I think Madi hates you though. I was wondering when she'd finally crack. She's really upset that Troy's upset over you. She knows that he still loves you."

"He doesn't love me anymore, Sam. I totally me—"

"Gabi, if you think Troy stopped loving you then I think you're totally messed up in the head. Troy never stopped loving you. When you ended things with him, he was trying to find a way to cope, just like you are right now. He still loves you and he's never going to let you go. If you can't see that then maybe you need to talk to him instead of me."

"Sam, I need you, right now. I miss you and Kayla. I miss the three musketeers." I said, feeling tears fill my eyes.

"We'll never leave you." Sam said, putting an arm around my waist, pulling me in for a hug, "We're still the three musketeers. We're just going through some problems."

"I'm so sorry." I said, bursting into tears, holding on to his shirt tightly. "I said things that I didn't mean, I just got scared that Zak was leaving me and that Troy and I were completely over and I ended up skipping meals and…" I choked up, not being able to talk anymore.

I held onto him tightly, letting my tears fall. I was done trying to be strong for anyone and I was done trying to be too stubborn to fix anything. I needed my friends back. I needed _me _back.

Sam hugged me tightly, wrapping his around me, stroking my hair. "It's okay Gabriella. It'll be okay. We'll fix things. We're all sorry and we all did stupid things and said things we didn't mean."

After a while, my tears stopped falling and I finally began to catch my breath again. "I'm really sorry, Sam." I said.

"Stop apologizing, you doof." Sam chuckled, "We'll fix everything."

"I just feel so guilty…" I sighed, "I ruined everything."

Sam sighed, "I think you're being over-reactive. You didn't ruin everything and as long as we're all trying to fix everything, then we'll be okay. Kayla will be back and I'll let you two fix everything. We'll all be okay. Zak will be happy to hear that you're starting to feel better." He said, rubbing my back in a comforting way.

I nodded, still trying to get my breath back.

"You are feeling better, right?"

"Yes." I laughed, "Do you have any ice cream?"

Sam laughed, "You're definitely feeling better."

I nodded, smiling at him. "But seriously, do you have ice cream?"

"I think Lucille bought some ice cream. It's up in the freezer. I think she got your favorite."

"Ben and Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie?"

"I think so." He nodded.

"Well then what the heck are we waiting for?" I said, getting up quickly, spinning around toward the stairs.

I froze, noticing Kayla who had been standing by the stairs. Sam stood up and noticed her and then smiled at her.

"How long have you been standing there?" I said, noticing that Kayla had tears in her eyes.

"Long enough." She gave me a small smile.

"I'm so sorry." We said at the same time and ran toward each other and hugged each other tightly.

"I was such a bitch for lying to you." Kayla said, "I should have-"

"No—I was such a bitch for pushing you away when all you were doing was trying to help me. You were just doing what Zak asked you to do and I shouldn't have over-reacted the way I did."

"But Zak means the world to you and I would have acted the same way if you didn't tell me that Sam was dying."

"Okay great!" Sam interrupted us, putting his arms around the both of us, "We're made up and we're all sorry. Now I'm actually craving ice cream so, let's go get some, okay?"

"Sam!" Kayla and I said in unison, smacking him on the shoulder.

"Well I'm glad you two are better now…." Sam said, "Jeez. You don't have to hit me."

Kayla and I laughed and hugged him tightly. "I'm glad you're better Gabs. I missed you." Sam whispered into my ear.

"One step at a time." I said, feeling a step closer to being back to my old self.

_Hey everyone! Sorry this was such a long wait and stuff, but I'm having a hard time writing fanfictions when I'm writing my very own stories! Go check them out on wattpad under the same user name or go and check them out on fictionpress, again, under the same username! That would mean the world to me!_

_Fictionpress: whackedout101_

_Wattpad: whackedout101_

_Next update: Friday, Saturday, or Sunday of this week! Or...later on tonight._


	25. The Little Engine That Could

_Hey everyone! So like I promised, I was going to have another chapter up by today or Sunday so I'm just going to write it now. I'm sorry the last chapter was so short, but at least it was up. I'll be doing a re-write all of my stories that are completed anyways, and that includes this one so hopefully, you guys will enjoy this next chapter. _

_Shout-out(s):_

_Zac is my life: Well I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter because it definitely wasn't my best. And ah procrastination. It usually doesn't work for me hahaha and when I decided NOT to procrastinate, my oh-so-lovely teachers decide to postpone the due date. I guess there's a plus to that but either way, I still hate it. Thanks for reviewing! _

_EllaPayneStyles18: It's been a while since I updated and I apologize for making you wait. My life is hectic these days and I've been not in the mood to write. In addition, I'm not a huge fan of High School Musical or any of the actors or characters anymore. I started writing on fanfiction about six years ago so I've grown up and it's hard to write about something that I'm not as passionate about. Anyways, happy belated birthday. Thanks for reviewing. _

_MariaTaylor: I'm glad you liked it so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!_

_Sweethappylove07: Well I'm glad to be back! I took a bit of an unknown hiatus and I was just tired. Anyways, I guess we'll see what happen with Zak and Troy in this chapter considering things are slowly getting better. I'm anxious to re-write this story actually since my writing style has definitely not been showing in my recent chapters. Anyways thank you so much for reviewing!_

_Jadiee: Well I hope this was soon enough for ya! Hahaha, thanks for reviewing!_

_Yogaluva: I guess you'll find out what happens in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!_

_Fishing: I guess everyone hopes that since that's all of what the reviews said hahaha. Thanks for the review!_

_Well you guys never fail to amaze me with all the love and support you guys usually give me so I'm hoping this chapter will be a bit of a thank you to show my gratitude! _

Chapter 21-The Little Engine That Could

If I could call myself anything right now, I would probably be a splitting image of the Greek God Narcissus. Maybe not to the point where I wanted to stare at my reflection all the time, but I was being selfish and I had only cared about my well-being.

Today, I finally had decided to suck it up and go talk to Zak in the first time in a while. I needed to see that he was doing better—or at least I needed to know that he still wasn't angry with me. I had been eating in the last few days and I fixed things with two out of the three people that mean the most to me and that had to count for something.

I put my silver flats on, fixing my jeans to go over them and then smiled at myself in the mirror. "You can do this Gabriella." I whispered as I nodded and then opened the door.

I swung the door quickly and saw Troy and Madi holding each other against Troy's door. My heart sunk quicker than a pound of rocks would have hit the bottom of a shallow pond.

They pulled apart instantly, Troy's hair being a mess and Madi's up-do looking a little abstract. "Hi Gabriella, it's nice to see you come out of your bedroom."

I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or a huge smack in the face. I decided to smile and nod at her, not looking at Troy or his reaction.

_Be strong, Gabriella_.

I walked down the stairs hastily and went into the kitchen, finding Kayla and Sam throwing grapes into each other's mouths. "Going somewhere?" Sam said, throwing a grape into Kayla's mouth.

"I'm going to go say hi to Zak. I miss him." I said, grapping a water bottle from the refrigerator.

"Do you want us to come with?" Kayla asked, looking worried.

"No, I think I'll be okay. Thanks though. I kind of just want to get out of this house since I've been stuck here for so long, but maybe you guys want to go out to dinner?"

Kayla and Sam looked at each other with wry glances and I narrowed my eyes, as I twisted the cap off my water bottle. "Uh…" Sam trailed off.

"Catch!" Kayla threw a grape at me and it me right in the middle of the forehead. I wasn't amused.

"Don't change the subject." I said, "Do you guys have other plans?"

"Madi invited us to have dinner with her and Troy." Kayla said quickly, Sam hitting her lightly on the shoulder.

"Kayla!" Sam hissed.

"She deserved to know! It wasn't like we could blow her off!"

"_She_ is standing two feet away from you." I said, "Besides, it's okay. We don't need to hang out tonight. Maybe I'll go out with Luke or something. I kind of owe him an apology too."

Kayla rolled her eyes. "When are you going to realize-"

"That you need to get going because visiting times are going to be over soon!" Sam interrupted her, holding Kayla's mouth shut.

"I'll talk to you guys later. Have fun tonight." I said, grabbing my bag from the counter and headed out the door.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I turned around, making sure the door didn't slam shut because I noticed that Zak's eyes were shut.

I quietly walked toward him, observing his facial features. His usual dark olive skin was now turned pale with a little bit of color on his cheeks. Underneath his eyes held dark rings that showed that he was tired or not getting much sleep. His lips were a lighter shade of pink and his usually styled black hair was flat as Kansas's geography.

I grabbed a seat that stood by the window and I put it next Zak's cot. I sat down then grabbed Zak's left hand caressing the back of his hand. I turned my attention back to Zak's face and he almost looked happy. He looked peaceful and I guess in mind, if someone looked peaceful, it meant that they were at peace in their heart and mind which also meant that they were happy.

"So…I was hoping you'd be awake Zak, but since you're not, I guess I'll just say this now and then repeat myself later." I laughed softly in the dead silence and I held onto Zak's hand a little tighter.

"So I fixed things with Kayla and Sam the other day and it's been going well. We've talked and stuff and they've told me things about Madi. They said that she wasn't really that bad so I guess that's really good for Troy. At least she's a lot better than Jess, right?" I laughed once more and then shook my head.

"I miss being able to spend a lot of my time with you these days. I feel so weak and so pathetic and without you, I feel like it keeps getting worse and worse and hate myself for that. Troy and I are probably even more distant now than we ever were last year when we first met. And that's saying something because neither of us were very fond of each other. I'm not sure if I really like Madi but I guess if Troy's happy then I should be happy too. I screwed up really badly this time, Zak and I don't know how to fix it."

I laid my forehead against Zak's hand on the bed and tried my best not to let the tears fall. "Gosh dang it Zak why can't you be awake? I need you."

Raspy laughter filled the room and I looked up to see Zak smiling with his eyes still shut. "Zak? You're awake?"

"No?" he whispered, his voice dry.

"Have you been awake this whole time?" I said, looking at up him suspiciously.

"No?"

"Zachary Greene!" I said, smacking him on the stomach.

Zak groaned in pain and rolled over on his stomach, moaning loudly into his pillow. He murmured something into the pillow that I couldn't understand and I laughed.

"It helps if you talk to me and not the pillow Zak."

"It also helps if you don't injure those who are sick and in the hospital."

I giggles and grabbed his hand once more. "Sorry…"

"Next time don't hit me."

"Well next time you shouldn't pretend like you're asleep. I really wanted to talk to you."

"You were talking to me."

"Well I wanted to feel like I was really talking to you." I sighed, "I needed someone to talk to."

"Well I'm all ears."

"Well I already told you everything."

Zak narrowed his eyes at me as he looked at the buttons on the side of his bed and pressed one to make the bed start making him sit upright. "Everything, eh?"

"Madi, Troy, Kayla, and Sam are all going on some date tonight and they didn't think to tell me. I wanted to hang out with Sam and Kayla today but they're busy now. So I was thinking I could hang out with Luke instead."

Zak's face turned into a look of disgust. "Why do you hang out with him?"

"He's not a bad guy."

"Yeah, but he is kind of the reason why the golden couple of East High broke up. And I'm pretty sure Troy won't be very happy that you'll be hanging out with him."

"Troy moved on. Shouldn't I move on too?"

"Gabi…" Zak sighed, "Troy didn't move on. Troy was defeated and hurt when you decided to take a break and he thought the best way to cope was to start seeing someone else. I know what it's like to be in love with you…"

"That's totally uncalled for."

"I'm not done." Zak said, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Sorry. Continue."

"My point is, Luke was the person who made your guys' relationship get on the rocks and you were the one who decided you guys should take a break. Troy was just doing what he thought you wanted him to do and that was to move on. When love hurts, people start doing crazy things. Talk to him and maybe you can figure out what's going in his crazy mind of his."

"Zak-"

"You don't have to do it right now, but doing it soon might help." Zak said.

I sighed knowing that I was defeated. There was no reason to argue with Zak because I knew that Zak's speech held nothing but the truth. "I'll try."

"That's my girl." Zak said, "Always so brave."

"Always is not the word I would use with me."

"I would. You don't see it Gabriella but you keep going along just the little engine that could."

"The little engine that could?"

"You know, from the movie Major Payne."

I laughed at his reference and shrugged. "Your point being?"

"You may have points where you feel weak and defeated but you still get up to face the world every day. Just keep going and just take one day at a time. Troy will realize that he misses you one day and he'll see that Madi is just some sort of rebound girl. Sure, she's nice, but she's not what he really wants."

"And what does he really want?"

"You."

_So this chapter is a little longer and stuff, but the next chapter will be much better. I'm pretty happy with what I wrote for this chapter, but I will totally be rewriting this story and all the rest of my stories this summer so hopefully you guys will help me decide which one I should rewrite first. So for those who do read these author's notes, help me choose now by reviewing and letting me now. _

_Which story should I do a complete rewrite of first? _

_-A Summer With The Boltons (The first story of this series)_

_-See Me Who I Really Am_

_-My Best Friend's Brother's Friend_

_-A Broken Wing_

_-Bringing Back The Past_

_If you could help me, that would be great. I'll also be changing some of the names of the stories so we'll see. _

_Next Update: Next Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. I'm off Thursday, but I have to go to a graduation ceremony to play in band, but I also have a doctor's appointment. So we'll see how that goes as well. Check my profile on occasion to see if those dates changes._

_Check out my fictionpress or wattpad_

_Fictionpress username/Wattpad username: whackedout101_

_Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review! _


	26. Always Sure

_Hey everyone! So as I promised, I'm trying to be writing for you guys every week, despite my hectic schedule. I'm actually going to be writing my two chapters for the week and then after that I need to start studying for finals. Finals for me are on Tuesday and Wednesday and then I'm done with school and I'm really afraid I'll be bombing two tests which I can't really afford to bomb sooo I should be studying but I'll get to that since I have a three day weekend. _

_Anyway, I apologize for my really poor grammar, missing commas, typos, and other embarrassing mistakes I have put in my chapters in the past few chapters. The majority of my chapters I don't go back and read because I'm afraid I'll hate it or I just don't have the time. So LUCKILLY…I will be going back and doing a total rewrite of each of my stories that I loved. Unfortunately, only one of you guys gave me a suggestion. But more on that at the bottom of this page…for now, let's start the chapter and some replies. _

_Shout-out(s):_

_Zac is my life: I quite enjoyed that part too. I thought that we needed some little comical relief and who better than, Zak? And I really wish nobody had those types of days where they don't want to write and stuff. It really kills the mood…or at least for me it does. But I'm looking forward to fixing all my previous chapters soon…so that's a good thing. And that has happened to me NUMEROUS times and I wanted to choke someone. Okay maybe I'm __not__ that violent but still…don't judge—my anger is my weakness. Anyways, as always, thanks for the fabulous review! _

_Santeelove: Well congratulations on being the second person who actually read my author's note and actually tried to help me decide on my rewrite. I really do want to rewrite that one because I know it has typos and really bad mistakes for it, and I do have better ideas for it and I want to take out some scenes and put in better ones, but I feel like if anything, that story is in the least need of being rewritten the soonest, if you know what I mean. Anyways, I have been __good__ stressed. And progress is being made which I'm so proud of because I was starting to become a hollow shell of a writer. Anyway, thanks for making that suggestion and thanks for reviewing!_

_Sweethappylove07: Well you are officially the first to actually give me a suggestion on my re-write, so I commend you for that! Anyways, Zak isn't exactly a mediator but he is the one person that Gabriella can go for help and such. He's a good person and that's how I meant him to be. Like I said, I really need to fix some of my characters. Thanks for being so supportive and thanks for the recommendation and the review! It means a lot!_

_Jadiee: Well I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!_

_MariaTaylor: I'm glad I updated too…hahahaha. And I think everyone is dying to know what's up Gabi's sleeve next. I know I am. (; Thanks for reviewing!_

_Fishing: No promises there (; but I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing like always!_

Chapter 22-Always Sure

"Just promise me you'll just stay home tonight."

"I-"

"Wait—no. Promise me that you will stay home tonight _and _you'll be alone."

I scowled at Zak who just gave me an amused smirk in response. "Are you kidding me?" I scoffed, "Are you really banning me from hanging out with someone tonight?"

Zak rolled his eyes, "Not just _someone_, Gabi—Luke."

It was my turn to roll my eyes as I crossed my arms, sighing. "That's not even fair! If Troy gets to go and hang out with his new lover then why can't I just hang out with my new friend?"

"We just went over this, Gabs!" Zak said, anger and frustration filling his green eyes.

"But-"

"Trust me, Troy will come back home, see you all by your lonesome, and then he'll want to talk to you."

"What makes you sure?" I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.

"I'm Zak. I'm always sure." He winked at me playfully, giving me a knowing smirk.

I _hated_ that boy sometimes.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

That had been about three hours ago. Now, I was sitting on the couch with popcorn on my lap and I was watching _He's Just Not That Into You. _I was pathetic. I had listened to Zak even though I had to fight my will-power to reply to Luke's text when _he_ had asked _me _to hang out.

In the last three hours, I had talked to my mom for a half hour, updating her on what had happened. She had given me this huge speech about being careful and making the right choice and she said not to push Troy, but right now, I wanted to push Troy off a cliff.

After I talked to my mom, I decided to go for a swim to try and relax and unfortunately, that relaxation time lasted only about three minutes before Kayla dragged me out of the pool, telling me that I needed to help her pick out her outfit for her double date. And you can all guess how well that went.

After I attempted to help Kayla pick out something to wear, she decided she changed her mind and went with this really nice fuschia dress. Then she told me that since that we couldn't hang out tonight, then she said that she wanted me to help her with hair so we could for a little bit longer.

In all honestly, I wanted to kill the damn girl because she was making me help her with a date that I really wished I was a part of. Fortunately, Kayla looked gorgeous and that was all that mattered.

I went up to my room to go and change into some sweats and ran into Troy, who was sporting some nice dark washed jeans, a plain t-shirt that clung to him in all the right places, and a simple blazer to finish off the look.

_Somebody up there must hate me._

I blinked when I saw him and then tried with all my might to just move past him, but as I was walking past him, he grabbed my wrist. "Hey."

"Uh…hi." I tried to swallow, my throat was now dry and scratchy.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" he asked me, his eyes swam with too many emotions to pick out and all his body language said was I'm-tense-but-I-don't-care vibe to it.

"I was going to-" I stopped myself, wanting to throw myself out a window for almost telling him that I was going to hang out with Luke, but Zak had to talk me out of…

"You were going to what?" Troy's gaze continued to stay on me as I stared at the floor, my wrist burning from the contact that he was giving me.

"I'm just staying home and watching some movies. So I guess, no, I'm not doing anything." I shrugged, my voice coming out more confident than I had felt.

"Oh." Troy said.

I looked at him, looking over his body again. He seemed to have relaxed.

_Dammit Zak. Why are you always right? _

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"_Girls are taught a lot of stuff growing up. If a guy punches you he likes you. Never try to trim your own bangs and someday you will meet a wonderful guy and get your very own happy ending. Every movie we see, Every story we're told implores us to wait for it, the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. But sometimes we're so focused on finding our happy ending we don't learn how to read the signs. How to tell from the ones who want us and the ones who don't, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn't include a guy, maybe... it's you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is... just... moving on. Or maybe the happy ending is this, knowing after all the unreturned phone calls, broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment you never gave up hope."_

I closed my eyes, clenching my blanket tighter as I took in all the words that Gigi were saying as a voice-over. She was so right. Maybe I didn't need a happy ending. Maybe I needed to move on. Maybe I need to learn who will stay and who will go.

The movie was right. I needed to get over Troy. I should have hung out with Luke tonight. I would have been able to get over Troy and instead of getting fatter with a big tub of ice cream. My happy ending was moving on from Troy and from what had happened to me. I was stronger without Troy.

Zak was wrong. Zak was so, so wrong. He could have never been so wrong. I needed to let go of Troy.

"Troy!" a giggle game from the front of the room, as the front door of the room.

"Sh! I think Gabriella's sleep."

The _hell _I'm asleep.

"Oh silly boy! If she's asleep, she won't wake up. She'll be fine. I'll be a good girl."

I rolled my eyes, hoping that they would just finish their little escapades up in Troy's room.

But of course, to my dismay, there was loud laughing, footsteps, and the sound of kissing getting closer and closer to the kitchen was right next to the living room where I was.

_Oh screw this._

I got up quickly, hoping that I could sneak out the back door and then back through the front door and then sneak up the stairs into my room. It was a good plan in my head.

I wrapped my blanket around me tightly, grabbing the remote to turn off the T.V and headed toward the back door and then looked back to see Troy and Madi were getting closer and closer.

I tried to turn the doorknob, but of course, Lucille or Jack had locked it and me being the clumsy idiot that I was, was fumbling with the both locks.

The laughing was getting closer and closer.

_Click_.

_YES!_

The laughter stopped.

I turned around slowly and saw Troy staring blankly at me, with Madi sporting a bright red dress to match her cheeks that were redder than a tomato.

I chuckled as I unlocked the bottom and then quickly opened the back door and waved at them, swinging the door farther opened.

"We didn't wake you did we?" Madi said, using the most innocent voice I've ever heard.

"No. I was just going to bed."

"You were going to sleep out back?" Troy said, his voice was dry and rigid.

Lying never was one of my talents.

_Ah, fuck. So maybe Zak _was_ right._

_So I know you guys probably want to kill me now, since I'm making you guys wait a little longer for some Troyella action, but I promise the next chapter will be full of it. Anyways, I thought we'd make this kind of be a build up to the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for. _

_So as I said in the last chapter, I'm planning re-writing a story or two over the summer and nobody has voted on the poll on my profile, but I did ask in my last chapter and so far I have:_

_1-My Best Friend's Brother's Friend_

_1-A Summer With The Boltons_

_0-See Me Who I Really Am_

_0-A Broken Wing_

_0-Bringing Back The Best_

_Again, if you could give me what you guys would like to see a re-write of, please, feel free!_

_Next Update: Next Wednesday or Thursday! (Yay! I'm out of school after Wednesday at 1:00!) AKA May 30__th__ or the 31__st__. _

_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please review! And thank for all your guys' patience and support. It means the world! (: Have a wonderful weekend!_

_Oh. And I apologize for this unedited chapter. Yikes. And the lame title. _


	27. Stay

_Hey ya'll! So I didn't exactly lie this go round, the update is just earlier since I am up earlier, and I can't really go back to sleep. In all honesty, yesterday, I went to the library to find some books to read and came home with six of them. I read one completely all last night and then I fell asleep and for some reason, I'm up early so I decided I'd write this chapter quickly. Anyway, sorry for the delay, but hey, at least you guys are getting about a chapter a week, right? _

_I realize that it's difficult for you guys to read this story after some of you haven't read it in almost a few months but to be honest, it's hard for me to write it after a few months too so for those of you who DO read it, thank you so much! _

_Shout-out(s):_

_Zac is my life: Don't you just love the fact that you're always the first person I give a shot-out to? Ha! I guess that's one of the benefits of reviewing last. Anyways, me too. I tried to get Sam and Kayla to be that for the first part of this series, but unfortunately, they had to add to the drama. And yep! But that's writing for you. Or any type of hobby I guess—except maybe sports. Do you need to be in the 'mood' to play a sport? I don't know. I'm not exactly the sporty-type. Anyway, I take out a lot of my anger out on my brothers too. And I have five of them. Or I take it out on my ears and listen to music loudly. Anyway, I'm so glad you liked that chapter because I, myself quite enjoyed writing the chapter! And this one shall be even more epic! Thanks for reviewing m'lady! _

_EllaPayneStyles18: Hah, no worries. And well I guess we'll have to see. I think if I have time today, I might just choose myself since a lot of you haven't really given me a voice for what you guys want. Or I might just do two at a time. I really need to start finishing this story….but I don't want to rush it either. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I wouldn't Madi is innocent per-say and I wouldn't exactly call her a different type of personality either. Everyone has a different personality and I want a diverse choice of characters, but the point of her character is to show more of Troy's personality if anything. At least, from a writer's perspective—that's how I see it. Thanks for reviewing again!_

_Sweethappylove07: I believe that Gabriella can move on but I really don't believe she should. I always believe that things get rough and moments are passed but quite frankly, some moments need to be lived and some rough patches need to make you stronger, which means that you don't just dodge the problem. And in the case, I feel like Gabriella really needed that. Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. _

_LivingInMyDream: Well howdy stranger! I believe we haven't talked in over a few months—meaning last October or so. And I'm sorry for the lack of Troyella moments but there will be plenty in this chapter. I thought I'd take a break and start looking at Gabriella and what's going on inside her head. Anyways, glad you enjoyed the chapter and we shall catch up soon! I got a laptop so I really need to download Windows Messenger Live on it. Thanks for reviewing my dear!_

_MariaTyler: Glad you loved it! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Yogaluva: I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review!_

_Jadiee: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Fishing: Apparently everyone is dying to see Madi disappear and see some Troyella action. Hahaha. We'll see some of that in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!_

Chapter 23-Stay

"Uh, no. I was going to go get some fresh air and then I was going to go to bed." I lied through my teeth, trying to stay calm.

"Oh." Troy stared at me.

"I think I'll go, Troy. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Madi said, tugging on his arm to go the opposite direction.

"Okay." Troy said, finally drifting his eyes toward Madi, letting her lead him back toward the front door.

I sighed in relief, running toward the stairs and up to my room. I softly closed the door and breathed normally, trying to figure out what all that was.

Before I could even think about any of that, there was a soft knock on my door and I froze. Did I really want to talk to him? Did he even really want to talk to me or did he just want to apologize? My mind was spinning through all the different scenarios.

"Gabi, open up." Troy said, knocking on the door once again.

I slowly turned around placed my hand on the door knob, my breathing quickening. I turned the door knob and opened the door and stared at Troy who didn't look too happy.

"What was that all about?"

"What was what all about?" I said, trying to play dumb.

"You were downstairs, lying to my face."

"I wouldn't technically call that lying…" I trailed off, "I just finished my movie and I was going to go to bed right after that, but since you and Madi came in, I thought I'd give you guys your privacy and go out the backdoor and then back through the front once you guys were in your room." I explained, "Unfortunately, you didn't go straight to your room and the back door was locked so I couldn't get outside before you guys saw me."

Troy stared at me and then walked into my room, sitting down at my desk chair. "Are you trying to avoid me, Gabriella?"

I sat down at my bed, crossing my legs and staring at my oh-so interesting bed spread. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you _don't _know?" Troy said, his voice sound angrier.

"I just don't. Zak told me to stay home today so—" I stopped.

_Stupid Gabriella. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _

"Zak said what?" Troy said, sound much calmer.

"He just wanted me to stay home. He thinks I need to take things easy on myself. So I took his advice."

"That doesn't explain whether or not you're avoiding me."

"I'm not trying to. I just don't know what to do anymore…" I said, my voice trailing off.

"Well I—"

"Who are we trying to fool ,Troy?" I sighed, "We aren't a couple anymore but you said we were supposed to be friends and all we do is avoid each other like the plague. And don't tell me this is just on me because you do it too."

"I don't—"

"Are we just trying to fool ourselves Troy?" I whispered almost so softly I couldn't even hear myself, "I can't do this anymore. I don't know if I want to stay here. The point of me staying was so we could spend time together and now we just hate each other."

"I don't hate you."

"Well—"

"Don't tell me you hate me because I know that's not true." Troy said, "Gabriella, we broke because you wanted us to. You wanted to take a break and I was okay with that but I can only take so much heartbreak. I decided to date Madi because I needed someone to help me get through it."

"So dating her was going to help you get through our break up?" I almost yelled at him but decided to be nice. "Troy, we were on a _break_. I didn't think that meant both of us could start seeing other people."

"Well maybe you should have _established_ that before!" Troy yelled at me.

I recoiled looking at him, feeling my heart being ripped into two pieces again. "Get out."

Troy started at me laughed haughtily. "Of course. Whenever you want to talk we talk but whenever I want to talk we can't because everything just revolves around you!"

"I said get out."

"No." Troy said, "I want to work this out and if you're going to push me away, I'm not going to let you do that this time."

"You've already pushed me away, Troy."

"How? I'm the one trying to make an effort here and all you do is just pout in your room!"

"I don't know…" my voice was dripping in sarcasm, "Maybe the fact that you're dating a brand new girl is a good way of showing that you care about me, Troy."

"I didn't realize that I had to run that by you!"

Another punch to the gut. I stared at the wall opposite of him, trying to fight back any of the tears. "You didn't. But you should have known that it was going to hurt me."

I could feel Troy's body grow less tense and a little bit more caring as he crawled toward the bed and sat next to me. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Gabi. I just…I'm stupid. You know that."

"You're not stupid, Troy."

"I didn't like the way you kept hanging out with Luke." He said, "But I should have trusted you."

"Yeah." I said, bringing my knees to my chest.

"I'm sorry, Gabi."

"Sorry doesn't fix anything, Troy." I whispered, "You're with Madi and I guess that's all you have to care about right now."

"Stop doing that!" Troy yelled, his anger getting the better of him.

I stayed silent.

"I care about _you_, Gabi. I've always cared about _you._ I care about Madi but she'll never be _you_. You are always going to be my first love and I always—"

"Don't." I said, my voice cracking.

"Don't what?" Troy said, grabbing my face with his hands, making me look at him. "Look at me, Gabi."

I stared at him, his eyes turned into a light blue. I looked back over at the wall and then the moved my head toward him again. "Seriously, look at me, Gabriella."

I sighed and looked at him, waiting for his answer.

"I will always love you." He said, his voice full of emotion, "I will always love you and I don't want you to forget that. It doesn't matter if we completely forget about each other and date someone else, but I will always love you. You will always be my first love and I will never forget our summer together. You changed me, Gabriella."

Tears filled my eyes because I was so overwhelmed and I looked at him straight in the eye. "Why are you saying all of this?" I said, my voice coming out raspy.

"You _need _to hear this Gabriella." Troy said, brushing my cheek with his thumb, "I never meant to hurt you. I'm just confused and I thought that this is what you wanted me to do."

"That doesn't change anything." I whispered, tears flowing from eyes down to my chin.

Troy brushed each tear with one of his thumbs, "I know. And I'm sorry. I miss you Gabi and I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

"Troy…" I whispered, touching my hand with one of the hands that was still holding my face, "I can't do this anymore. I want to go home."

"You _are _home." Troy said, "I'll do anything, Gabriella. Just stay. I'll fix things with Madi. I'll end things with her."

"I can't let you do that." I choked out, "I just can't. That's not fair to Madi."

"What I'm doing to you isn't fair." Troy said, "And I can't keep just pretending like what I'm doing is okay. I can't just let you be my friend because that's not good enough for me."

Tears continued falling from my eyes, as I closed my hand around his tightly, truly smiling for the first time in what seemed like years.

"So I take that as a yes?" Troy chuckled, pulling me in for a hug, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"Take what as a yes?"

"You're staying? And you'll go back to being my girlfriend?"

I smiled, pressing my face against his chest, "Yes."

_Okay! There's that chapter. It's not as long as I wish it was, but as I said ,I'll go back and rewrite this story anyways. So, here we are! _

_So I realize that a LOT of you guys are favoriting me and all that and even though that's really kind of you, I'd really appreciate it if you guys wouldn't be a silent reader. If you are writer yourself, you'd understand the frustration. So please review! _

_So here's what we have so far on polls: _

_My Best Friend's Brother's Friend: 2_

_A Summer With The Boltons: 2_

_See Me Who I Really Am: 0_

_A Broken Wing: 0_

_Bringing Back The Past: 0_

_Unfortunately, since none of you have actually voted, I'm going to just rewrite See Me Who I Really Am for my own sake. Sorry! So be looking out for that..._

_On other news, I'm out of school and I'll be updating a lot more. I'm really starting to hate writing this story which is really unfortunate but I think it's my own fault so when I go back and revisit this story I'll be thankful that I'll be making a big improvement.  
_


	28. A Rainbow of Emotions

_Is anyone else weirded out by this new Fanfiction layout? I am. On with the shout-out(s):_

_Sweethappylove07: I reply to every review so of course I'd reply to your review. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and with Troy and Gabriella, you never know. Madi will come up again of course but I won't have both of them confront her. However, I don't really like writing any fanfiction at the time so it's hard. I'm not going to leave a story not ended though. That's not fair to you guys. _

_TroyellaForever25: Thanks for finally reviewing! It really does mean a lot! And it wasn't just Troy who was doing something wrong… or at least, that's how I see it. _

_Zac is my life: I totally jinxed that whole thing about you being first. Man, I seem to do that a lot! Ha! And ah, I do that too, except on my iPod touch. I was just about to read one of your stories one night actually, but then I got super-duper tired. I'm not a fan of reading fanfictions anymore since I went off to my grandparent's summer and then went to the library and found all sorts of books to read and since then, I wanted to write my own story and come up with my own characters and my own plot and I did. And I guess you are right. Unless you do something stupid and the coach benches you! Ha. I'm definitely the same way, except I go to YouTube more than the others. I'm not a fan of Facebook sometimes. I hate forced writing and I feel like I'm not doing myself justice so eh. All my brothers are older than me and every single one of them, except one, is moved out. I love them all, but sometimes it is a pain. I have a sister, but we aren't very close. I wish I did have a younger sister sometimes. And me too. I was afraid it seemed a bit rush. Thanks for reviewing…and sorry for making you read a lot of that! Ha!_

_Superblossom128: First of all, your review was one of my favorites! It was beyond sweet! I'm sure there is something that is wrong with my story. Some stupid typo, not a lot enough character development, etc. I too write outside of fanfiction and I actually prefer it. Anyway, I'm actually surprised that you liked the fact that Troy and Gabriella took their time to get back together in a 'while' because I felt like it wasn't long enough, myself. Ha! How odd. I'm not sure if I'll use your idea. I will make sure she has an 'appropriate' reaction though. Nobody is THAT perfect, if you know what I mean! Thank you so much for your very kind review! I hope this chapter isn't short of your expectations!_

_EllaPayneStyles18: They definitely are! And as I said in this previous reply, nobody is perfect and I think it's understandable. Many people react stupidly to things that happen to them. The re-write obviously is already underway and it's definitely a difficult one but I'll get to the rest of them as soon as I can! I'll need something to do after I finish this story and really attempt to find a new plot for Fanfiction. For all I know, it might not even HSM related! Crazy, right? Anyway, thanks for reviewing, as always!_

_Jadiee: Glad you liked it so much! I hope this chapter suffices all expectations with Troy and Gabs! Thanks for the review!_

_TeeLovin: It can be difficult to make someone smile over texting or a computer. Sometimes, it really just takes something that you really wish you had and then seeing that something happen to someone you really care about or admire. Or maybe it's a story with loved characters. Or something somebody said to you. Who knows. That's just my silly opinion. Madi isn't gone quite yet but she'll be to the point where she's very minor. Time will tell for her. Anyway, glad you liked the previous chapter. Thanks for reviewing!_

_Fishing: I'm glad you liked it so much! Everyone seems to be happy about them getting back together, not that I blame any of you hahaha. Thanks for reviewing!_

_Pumpkinking5: I agree with you comment. Miscommunication is a big problem in any relationship, not just couples. It's ruined some of my friendships. Bleh. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!_

_Anon: Hah! We'll see! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Santeelove: Yes! Finally, right? It's been a little long, I guess. I was planning on holding out longer but you guys seemed to be getting antsy. I'm glad you love this story so much because it means so much! Thanks for reviewing!_

_MariaTyler: Glad you liked it so much! The couple is indeed finally back together. Ha! Thanks for the review!_

_So, I'm sorry for making you guys wait a bit for this chapter. I was feeling a little lazy and I didn't want to post something really bad so I waited it out a little bit so I wouldn't write something that I hated. Hopefully, you'll understand!_

Chapter 24-A Rainbow of Emotions

"TROY!" I heard the front door slam.

I groaned, rolling over in my bed. I put one of the pillows that were beside me over my head. I wanted to kill the next person who decided that it was a good idea to be obnoxiously loud at only eight o'clock in the morning.

"Troy! I got your text!"

Madi.

I wanted to smack my head against my head board as I got up from my bed. _I might as well eavesdrop on the conversation since she woke me up._

I went to go slip on my robe and put my hair up in a messy bun and then headed down toward the kitchen to go get some coffee.

As I walked down, I started to hear their conversation. Unfortunately, they decided to talk in the kitchen. So, instead of getting the coffee I so desperately wanted, I leaned against the wall on the last step that separated the kitchen from where I was.

"Madi, you know I really care about you, right?" I heard Troy say.

"Of course. And I really care about you too," Madi said.

I could practically 'hear' a smile creep onto her face.

"And I really admire that about you," Troy said, "You're very understanding and that's a quality any guy would want."

"Why are you saying all of this?" Madi said, her voice starting to get tense.

"It's just," Troy sighed, "I'm not really sure why."

I gawked. To _hell _he didn't know why.

"Okay, so maybe I _do _know why. . ." Troy sighed, "I just don't really know what to say because I'm afraid of how you'll react."

"You should be. . ." I heard Madi mumble.

"I really did care about when we dated," Troy said, "and I realize it might seem like I don't now but—"

_Great now he was rambling._

"Just get on with it, Troy!" Madi's voice was louder now.

"I . . . really don't think this relationship should carry on." Troy said, his voice solemn.

"You're breaking up with me?"

My eyes widened, surprised by the tone of her voice. I had always thought that Madi was very well composed but I guess I was wrong. She sounded angry now.

"I just don't think that you and I really fit well together."

"But. . ." Madi said, expecting Troy to say something else.

"But Gabi and I—"

"You're going back to _her_?" Her voice spat on 'her'.

I frowned.

"I miss her Madi. You knew that. We talked about it and I love that you helped me through it all, but the truth is, I don't think I ever got over her. Gabi and I really had issues, but the beauty of our relationship was the simple fact that we could get through all the bullshit we had. I really—"

"I don't want to hear it. She hurt you. She broke up with you, Troy! Why would you go back to her?"

"Because I never stopped loving her, Madi. We talked about all of this and you knew how I felt. You knew how I felt during our entire relationship and it was like you were in this denial state in your mind where you thought that suddenly all my feelings for Gabriella were going to disappear!"

I looked towards Madi and I started to feel guilty. Her face was filled with emotion, but mostly pain and rejection. I didn't want Troy to tell her like this but I knew that I had no reason to go and butt in when it wasn't my fight to fight.

"I understand, then." Madi's voice was quiet and she stared at the ground.

"Madi—"

"No, Troy, I get it. You don't want me and you never did and that's fine. Do whatever is best for you and whatever makes you happy."

Madi kept her head held high and she turned around, shoulders back.

"Madi—"

"Goodbye, Troy."

She opened the door slowly and then walked out of the house without another word and at that moment, I didn't know what to feel. I was feeling guilty and upset, but at the same time, I was happy because everything in my life had been fixed. Well, maybe not everything, but it was close enough. I was swarmed with emotions and I felt like I was paralyzed.

"You can come out now, Gabs," Troy said.

I sighed and then poked my head from the other side of the wall and gave Troy an innocent smile. Troy rolled his eyes, a smile creeping on his face.

"I wasn't supposed to hear any of that, was I?"

"Well, I was going to tell you anyway, but you should have told me you were going to eavesdrop."

"That wasn't plan originally!" I said in defense.

"Uh-huh, sure," Troy laughed and then went towards the kitchen.

"Don't ignore me, Troy Bolton!" I said, running after him.

I hopped on his back, wrapping my legs around his sides and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Gabs!" Troy laughed, holding onto my legs, "You need to warn me about stuff like that!"

"Then that wouldn't have been as much fun. . ." I said, pretending to pout.

"This week has just been array of emotions."

"More like," I paused to think, "a rainbow of emotions," I smiled.

"Right."

"A really bad, ugly rainbow," Troy chuckled and then grabbed a banana.

"Well, I don't think it is. There's anger, hatred, depression, and all other those other emotions, sure, but there's really good emotions in there too."

"Oh, really, like what?" Troy said, beginning to peel his banana.

"Happiness, joy, and of course, the most important of all. . ." I said, walking towards Troy, wrapping my arms him, pulling him closer, remembering each flood of emotion that I used to feel when Troy and I held each other.

"And what would that be, Ms. Montez?"

"Love." I said, smiling at him and leaning in for a kiss.

_Okay. . . I'm sorry for not having this chapter up earlier but I've been busy with things on FP and stuff and it's been hectic for me to write three stories at a time and it is summer so I'm being lazy. Sorry guys! ):_

_Next Chapter will be up probably tomorrow and at the latest, next Tuesday. _

_For those of you wondering about SMWIRATR (See Me Who I Really Am The Rewrite) that is probably going to be on a very short hiatus while I try and fix things with me and stuff. _

_Sorry guys! _

_Thanks for all those reviews and all that wonderful feedback!_

_Be patient with me and I promise this story will come to an end soon!_

_P.S-I'm sorry if there are mistakes in this chapter. I'm sure there are, but really this story is not my top priority right now because I will be going back to edit all of my stories throughout the years and stuff so this story will be much better probably either next summer or the following or even during the school years. So, sorry if it bothers you._


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